Mercedes Benz GLC Coupe teaser sketch revealed

Time flies and here we are one year after the Mercedes Benz GLC Coupe was shown in concept form at the Shanghai Motor Show.

Time flies and here we are one year after the Mercedes Benz GLC Coupe was shown in concept form at the Shanghai Motor Show. The company unveiled the teaser sketch for one last time before it shows the real deal at the New York Motor Show.

Teaser sketch of Mercedes Benz GLC Coupe

These times are all about looks and this is certainly more of a looker since by the looks of it, rear passengers are going to have a crawl through the doors and carry handbags instead of suitcases as a compromise for the beautiful sloping roofline on this coupe. The rival to BMW X4 is the impractical version of the existing GLC or should we say the ideal 4th car in the garage.

Mechanically Mercedes Benz GLC Coupe Concept is expected to come with the same powertrain and specifications as its more sober sibling. Aa 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol mill with 241 horsepower and 370 Nm would make it ‘Delhi proof’ when brought to India. It will come with different engine options across the globe. For Europe GLC Coupe will be equipped with 2.1-litre diesel motor producing 170 PS for the 220 d or 204 PS for the 250 d. The American market will mostly get the same engine as India though it will be launched earlier than in India. Then, it will have powerful variants like the AMG version with 4.0-litre turbo engine for those who crave for gas guzzlers.

Mercedes Benz GLC Coupe Concept

The company has already revealed the specifications n GLC43 which benefits from the  9G-TRONIC that has a special double-declutching function, the GLC 43 can reach 100km/h in just 4.9 seconds. It also features traction control system, sending 69% power to the rear wheels and in demanding scenarios, sends it to the front wheels.

Mercedes will launch 5 new cars at the New York Motor Show and these will be 2017 AMG E43 Sedan, the 2017 AMG GLC43 and probably the C63 Cabriolet along with GLC63 coupe.

Hero MotoCorp Splendor back on top of the Leader Board

Hero Splendor has taken the lead back from the Honda Activa by selling a whopping 2,43,118 units as against 2,29,382 units of the Activa.

has taken the lead back from the Honda Activa by selling a whopping 2,43,118 units as against 2,29,382 units of the Activa. The festive season is seeing tables turning again in favour of the world’s largest 2-wheeler manufacturer.

The Hero MotoCorp Splendor saw a growth of 3.5 percent in sales over the same period last year during which it sold 2,34,844 units. In fact three places out of the top five selling 2-wheelers were named to Hero MotoCorp. The third and the fourth place was taken away by the Hero Passion and the Hero HF Deluxe with sales of 1,08,395 units and 1,01,579 units respectively. Hero MotoCorp had recently launched the new Splendor Pro in the Indian market at a very attractive price of Rs. 46,850 Ex-showroom, Delhi which under cut its rivals by a fair margin. The onset of the festive season also saw more buyers visiting Hero showrooms and returning home with a brand new two-wheeler.

The Hero Splendor is powered by a 97.2cc single cylinder motor that develops 8.3PS of power and 8Nm of max torque. It is mated to a 4-speed gearbox and is built on a Tubular Double Cradle Type chassis. The Splendor gets a Telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers at the front and a 5-step adjustable hydraulic shock absorbers at the rear. It has a fuel tank that can hold up to 11 litres of petrol and boasts a fuel efficiency on the higher side of 75Km/L under testing conditions. It was first launched in 1994 and has since then got a whole lot of updates over regular intervals with newer variants to keep up with the recent times.

Hero recently launched two new scooters in the Indian market namely the Maestro Edge and the Duet, to take on rivals like the Honda Activa and TVS Jupiter. Deliveries for the Maestro Edge began this month on the auspicious occasion of the first day of Navratri, with the Duet to follow suit very soon. We test drove both the Maestro Edgeand the Duetearlier this month and found that they have enough potential in them to make a dent on its rivals’ market share.

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India-bound BMW TVS K03 previewed as concept in Brazil

The BMW TVS K03, as it is called currently, has been previewed as the BMW Concept Stunt G 310 in Brazil, a few days back.

K03, as it is called currently, has been previewed as the BMW Concept Stunt G 310 in Brazil, a few days back. This bike will take on the soon to be launched Mahindra Mojo in the 300cc Motorcycle segmentbattle.

The BMW Stunt G 310 has many stunting features like crash bars for engine protection and a stunt tail

The BMW TVS collaboration in Indiacould result in the launch of the recently previewed Concept Stunt G 310, as its first bike in India. This one is a full-fledged stunt bike and will be made in India under the BMW TVS partnership. Chris Pfeiffer has closely worked with the development of this motorcycle and has been aimed at those looking for sharp handling over anything else. The BMW Stunt G 310 will feature a larger rear disc brake which the rider can operate by using just his middle finger if the rider’s foot is off the footrest. The bike also has crash bars that protect the engine casing and a stunt tail. The bike also comes with a lockable throttle that helps it with maintaining a constant engine speed, which is helpful in stunting scenarios.

The BMW TVS K03 will be powered by a 300cc/310cc single cylinder petrol engine

The bike will be powered by a 300cc single cylinder engine (or an 310cc unit, as the name suggests) that is liquid cooled and tuned to deliver power in the area of 35PS. BMW and TVS have developed an all new back to front motor for this particular motorcycle that aims at providing better overall weight distribution, in turn helping the handling characteristics. All that power will be transferred to the tarmac via a 6-speed manual gearbox.

This will be the first bike from the BMW TVS partnership in India and will rival the Mahindra Mojo in the 300cc Motorcycle segment

The production model is rumoured to debut very soon at the EICMA show with a wide variety of attractive colours. The base colour of the bike is plain white but will also get other colours like red and blue to further enhance its appeal. We hope that BMW TVS’s new bike lands in India soon, as it does look very tempting in its pre-production avatar.

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Hero Duet Road Test Review

Hero MotoCorp will get its second indigenously developed scooter, the Duet, on the Indian roads soon.

will get its second indigenously developed scooter, the Duet, on the Indian roads soon. The Hero Duet was unveiled at Delhi along with the Maestro Edge by Mr. Pawan Munjal, Chairman, Managing Director and CEO, Hero MotoCorp. Like the Maestro Edge, the Duet too comes from the Hero stable as a fully in-house product, showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo in Delhi. Read on about our Exclusive Road Test Review of the soon to be launched scooter from Hero.

As we mentioned here, Hero MotoCorp rules the Indian two-wheeler market. But its major dominance is in the motorcycle segment, where it is the undisputed leader. Honda rules the scooter segment with its best-selling Activa, being the king single-handedly. Hero now wants to give a straight competition to the Activa with the Duet. Like the Maestro Edge, the Duet too comes with the leadership of Ex-BMW Markus Braunsperger who, as their Chief Technology Officer, is the person responsible for all their future models.

Hero Duet Design:

If the Maestro was a swanky-looking scooter, then the Duet is a more conventional looking one, looking a lot like the Honda Activa-i. The Duet has an all-metal body (like the Activa) and that’s what makes it the typical commuter scooter. The uncanny resemblance of the Duet with the Activa lessens a bit when you take a closer look. The front end gets a neat, creased out face with a dash of chrome insert garnish, adding a little more excitement on the front panel. The paint job is a single-tone affair with a touch of chrome here and there. The headlight is a clear, lens-type with turn indicators which again have the clear glass effect with amber bulbs in them. The rear view mirrors come with rubber covering on the stalk plus the mirror body gets a dual-tone (body color & black) finish. The front mud guard is half-sized, while the front suspension is telescopic-hydraulic type. Integrated drum brakes (Combi Brakes) upfront, do their job on the Hero Duet.

Going backwards, the instrumentation on the Duet is again an Ana-Digital unit. Round speedo in the middle with a manual fuel meter, and a neatly tucked digital meter makes up for the instrumentation. With all this being covered in silver-grey surrounds. Side stand engaged warning indicator is a big welcome on these new Hero scooters and we hope that this now will become a trend for the segment. You have the odometer, two trip meters and service reminders on the digital display unit. The switch gear set is the usual one with the extra inclusion of the much-needed Pass button neatly integrated in the Hi-Low beam switch. The main ignition switch, alike the Maestro Edge, works for opening the seat lock, fuel filler lid and the usual functions of ignition and handle lock. The handle grip comes with bar end weights. The grips are made from soft rubber that feels very comfortable to grip. The foot board has good enough space to place your feet, plus lock some shopping bags if needed, on the provided bag holder.

The side body panel comes with an upward design chrome garnish insert that further highlights the design aspect of the Duet. The footrests are foldable type and come in black finish. A foldable ladies step in silver-grey finish is standard, while the backrest is in glossy black paint finish giving the tail a stylish look. The Duet monogram in chrome looks and feels neat and makes the side profile of the scooter look a lot more appealing. The seat is wide and feels firmly cushioned, offering good support to the rider and pillion. The rear gets a neat inbody flushed tail lamp with integrated turn lights in white finish. Just above the tail lamp assembly is the external fuel tank lid opener. This lid can be opened using the ignition set.

Flip open the seat and you’ll find a good amount of storage space that can fit in your full face helmet. Storage space in here is very similar to that of the Maestro Edge. The unique feature here is the boot light that’s added along with a first time inclusion of a USB 3.0 mobile charging port same as the Maestro Edge. The only minus point in this is that there is no steady mounting place to lock your phone while charging on the move. We mentioned this in our Maestro Edge reviewtoo. So if you charge your phone while riding, chances are, it would keep rattling around in here. We hope the engineers at Hero MotoCorp address this issue, but nevertheless the addition of this USB 3.0 charging port is a giant positive step in the scooter segment. We hope the competition is taking note of this and would implement these needed features in their products too. For now, we need to compliment the engineers from Hero for thinking of this. The Duet gets a large flat, design-style muffler in black with a neat-looking silver-grey finish on it.

Overall, the fit and finish is excellent on the Hero Duet. Quality of the switchgear is also good and the all metal body gives an extra gloss to the red paint job on our test ride scooter on a sunny Delhi afternoon.

Hero Duet Engine, Ride and Handling:

The Hero Maestro Edge comes powered by a fully in-house developed and engineered 110cc air-cooled, single cylinder engine that also powers the Maestro Edge. This 4-stroke OHC engine produces 8.43PS at 8000RPM and a max torque of 8.3Nm at 6500RPM. Hero claims a fuel efficiency of 65.8kmpl for the scooter. The exact fuel efficiency figures will be known when we get the vehicle with us for a longer time soon.

The Duet weighs 116kgs, which is around 6kgs more than the Maestro Edge, due to its all metal body. The seat is comfortable and the rider sits at a good commanding height. Initial acceleration is good. Power builds up linearly. The ride is well balanced out and the comfort level that this scooter has to offer is good. Hero Duet being a commuter scooter will be mostly used for city rides, as this is where it performs well. On the highways too, the extra weight comes in handy, to keep this scooter planted at speeds of 65km/hr-70km/hr that we did on it. No vibrations are felt at idle, or on the move. The telescopic suspension upfront and hydraulic spring at rear do their job nicely. The ride quality is good and well balanced with a good amount of comfort for the rider and pillion. The combo brakes with the drum brakes setup do their job well. The Hero Duet rides on 10×2.15 size steel wheels on the front and rear. MRF Nylogrip Zapper tubeless tyres with 90/100-10.53 J do their job on both these steel rims.

Hero Duet Verdict:

Although the Hero Duet though looks like a conventional scooter, it feels well-built and rides nicely too. Its USP is an all metal body and first-time features of USB 3.0 port in the boot along with boot light and external fuel filler. Hero has not yet disclosed the pricing for the Duet. But we feel it would be priced very aggressively, making it a very strong, value-for-money scooter in its segment and a very big contender for the Honda Activa, once it is launched.

Pics – Dr. Anand Narvekar

Hero Duet Pics Gallery

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The London Taxi Is Back; May Come To India

The London Taxi Company (LTC) has unveiled the next generation of the London Taxi.

The London Taxi Company (LTC) has unveiled the next generation of the London Taxi. The new prototype taxi has been called the TX5.

The next generation of the London taxi has been called the TX5 and it is a hybrid

The Coventry-based company has been taken over by a Chinese automobile manufacturer called Geely. Geely also owns Volvo.

Although it has been claimed that the new car has been designed from the ground up, a lot of styling cues have been taken from the iconic Black Cab and this immediately evident when the vehicle is viewed. Even though it retains the instantly recognisable key features, the new taxi has features that have been designed keeping in mind the requirements of the modern traveller and government restrictions. The taxi has been designed from the ground up.

The design has been focussed on improving comfort for the driver and the passengers. The driver gets more leg room now. The rear doors are hinged at the back, like the doors found on a Rolls Royce Phantom. These doors are called ‘Suicide doors’ and make it easy for passengers to enter or exit the vehicle. There is also space for a forward facing wheelchair. The new Black Cab taxi gets a panoramic glass roof, WiFi internet capability and charging points for drivers and passengers. The vehicle can seat six passengers.

The TX5 is made up of more than 2000 components and features  light-weight aluminium body structure and composite panelling. It is a hybrid vehicle. It is powered by an electric motor. The batteries also get a range extender to reduce range anxiety and improve reliability. It is a zero emissions vehicle. According to London laws, all taxis have to be zero-emission vehicles by 2018. The range extender is a four cylinder petrol engine.

The TX5 prototype taxi was unveiled for the first time in the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is on a four-day visit to the UK. The taxi will go on sale in the UK at the end of 2017 and will be exported to international markets in 2018. Hopefully, the Indian market is considered.

Skoda Vision S concept car teased ahead of Geneva Motor Show

SUV is the need of the hour and that’s what everyone is busy making, trying to cash in on the demand.

SUV is the need of the hour and that’s what everyone is busy making, trying to cash in on the demand. Skoda has teased its full size seven seater SUV concept called Vision S. Skoda Vision S will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland in a month’s time. The Vision S will most probably be called ‘Kodiak’ when the production begins as the Czech firm has registered the name as an official trademark.

Skoda Vision S Concept teaser

Talking about the design, it is typical Skoda with simple lines, along the hood encompassing the Skoda logo and the belt lines, seen on all Skoda models which have made its presence on all Skoda’s. The signature Skoda grille continues to wear the ‘Since 1895′ badge proudly.

Engine options on the Skoda Vision S are expected to be 2.0-litre TDI and the 1.8-litre TSI engines available with a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DSG transmission. Both engines are currently seen on the Octavia and the Superb. Also, a smaller 1.4-litre petrol engine is also a possibility. The VisionS measures 4,700mm in length, 1,910mm in width and a height of 1,680mm. The production-spec model is also expected to come with same dimensions. The SUV will use the extended MQB platform of the Volkswagen group. It will come in the standard front-wheel-driven format while an all-wheel-drive model will also be on offer.

The signature non fussy look continues on the Vision S

The SUV will be offered as a 5 seater, however, can be ordered in a 7-seat configuration as well. The 60:40 split-fold rear seat will slide 17cm forwards or backwards, allowing owners to prioritise boot space or rear passenger room as required.

The Skoda Vision S will be direct competition to the Land Rover Discovery and is expected to hit the European market early next year.

Amitabh Bachchan features in TVS Jupiter TV commercial

Amitabh Bachchan endorses TVS Jupiter in new Television commercial.

TVS had signed him as the brand ambassador in October last year. TVS Jupiter is powered by a 109.7cc single cylinder motor that develops 8.2PS of max power at 7500RPM and 8Nm of torque at 5500RPM. The engine is coupled to a CVT automatic transmission and boasts of a mileage of 62Km/L. This is the first time Mr Bachchan is endorsing a two wheeler. It comes with features like mobile charging port, external fuel filler, a unique pass switch, key shutter lock and combined braking to name a few.

At the unveiling as the brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan had said, “It is an honour to associate with TVS Motors, especially, with its flagship scooter brand the TVS Jupiter. I felt very welcome, and at home here.”

Aniruddha Haldar, Vice President-Marketing, TVS Motor Company, said, “TVS Jupiter is crafted for the Indian Man. A common thread connecting them across the diverse geographies and cultures of India was their willingness to strive for the happiness of their dear ones, in every aspect of life, almost like a life mantra, “apne se bhi zyada apnon ke liye”. TVS wanted to salute and recognise this spirit of the Indian Man and hence crafted the TVS Jupiter for him and brought in Amitabh Bachchan, the defining icon of the Indian psyche as the brand philosophy evangelist”.

Simi Sabhaney, CEO, Dentsu Communications, Bangalore, added, “TVS Jupiter celebrates the selfless spirit of a common man whose small everyday acts for others, are by no means ordinary. Needless to add, this story had to be strung together by none other than Amitabh Bachchan.”

“The campaign is a collection of montages across India that reflect the very essence of the everyday Indian man, who selflessly lives an existence for the benefit of the people who are dearest to him. Amitabh Bachchan brings out this insight beautifully with his credible stature,” said Samrat Chengapa, Sr. Vice President-Client Servicing, Dentsu Communications, Bangalore.

TVS Jupiter TV commercial featuring Amitabh Bachchan:

Hero Maestro Edge Road Test Review

Hero MotoCorp Ltd.

dominates around 52 percent of the Indian 2-wheeler market share. The major chunk of this dominance comes from their motorcycles. They have had a decent scooter lineup with the Pleasureand Maestro doing the job well. Since their separation from Honda, they have always focused at setting up their in-house R&D and design house. Hero had first shown us the concepts of their future scooter models at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo, with the first of those models to make it to final production being the Maestro Edge and the Duet. Both these indigenously developed scooters were launched recently by the Chairman, MD and CEO of Hero MotoCorp, Mr. Pawan Munjal. We bring you an Exclusive Road Test Review of Hero’s very first completely in-house developed scooter, the Maestro Edge. Read on to know more.

To start with, Hero MotoCorp has got in Markus Braunsperger as their Chief Technology Officer who comes from BMW Germany; Markus having worked at BMW for 25 years, will be the man behind all the Hero models, starting with the Maestro Edge. Being on ‘Edge’….The hot Delhi sun beating down on our heads did nothing to dampen our spirits, as we zipped smoothly on the track near the Leela Ambience Golf course!

Hero Maestro Edge Design:

The Maestro Edge, as the name suggests, has a lot of edges (creases and cuts) on its body design. The body is primarily made of durable ABS plastic material. Up front you get a wide design headlight with twin parking lights (can be also used as DRL). You have a neat and trendily-styled tiny windshield just above the headlight. The rear view mirrors come funkily designed as well, with dual-tone body color (Black-Grey). The nose is designed with body lines read as Edge lines that run upwards in a sort of `V` design. A small, neat touch here is the air-inlet that gets a darker shade along with the upper `V` body panel where the registration plate is mounted, which again comes in the same darker shade of plastic. The turn lights are mounted on the nose panel, large and angular, having a nice, transparent white glass finish on them. The front fender (mudguard) is designed like a motorcycle fender and this also gets the Edge design lines. The front suspension is Telescopic Hydraulic. The Maestro gets 12-inch black alloys upfront with 90/90-12-54J spec MRF Nylogrip Zapper tubeless tyres. The front brake is an integrated system, something similar to the combi-brakes seen on the Honda Activa.

Coming ahead, the Maestro Edge gets a multi ana-digi speedo unit with a regular speedo and a neat little LCD display unit. The instrument cluster also gets a sidestand warning indicator. The LCD display shows a digital fuel meter, trip meter, odometer and service indicator. The control switches are housed with the grey surround theme same as on the mirror. The unique addition here, is the pass switch which is very handy while overtaking, especially at night. The handle grips come with soft rubber, comfortable grip with bar end weights that look and feel nice. The footboard area is generous on the Maestro Edge. The side body panel is angular in design and in synergy with the Edge design body lines. A neat touch on the sides, is the Maestro Edge monogram in chrome, highlighting the panel prominently. The foldable foot-pegs come with aluminum finish. There is also the much needed foldable ladies-step as a part of the standard equipment on the Maestro Edge, as compared to the Activa, where it has to be bought as an accessory. The ignition key is a multifunction one, that along with starting the scooter also opens the seat, locks/unlocks the handle and opens the fuel tank lid. The scooter also gets a large triangular Bazooka-style muffler in a neat-looking silver grey finish. The tail lights get LED treatment while the rear turnlights come styled in transparent glass with amber bulbs in them. The rear also houses another unique feature, an external fuel tank lid which is placed just under the grab rail (backrest). This opener is fused with the body panel, where you need to turn the ignition lock using the key to open this body flap. The rear tyres on the Maestro Edge are of 90/100-10-53J spec MRF Nylogrip Zapper tubeless tyre mounted on 10×2.15 size black alloys. The seat gets a unique-looking, lined design upholstery on it, followed by the body-colored grab rail (backrest).

Flip open the seat and you’ll find a good amount of storage space that can fit in your full face helmet. The unique feature here is the bootlight that’s added along with a first time inclusion of a USB 3.0 mobile charging port. The only grouse we have, is that there is no steady mounting place to lock your mobile while charging on the move. So if you charge your phone while riding, chances are, it would keep rattling around in here. We hope the engineers at Hero MotoCorp address this issue, but nevertheless this is a very useful feature for someone who is always on the go. Overall, the fit and finish is excellent on the Hero Maestro Edge. Quality of the switchgear is at its best and we loved the unique matte paint finish on our test ride scooter which was in a lovely Blue shade.

Hero Maestro Edge Engine, Ride and Handling:

The Hero Maestro Edge is powered by a fully in-house developed and engineered 110cc air-cooled single cylinder engine. This 4-stroke OHC engine produces 8.43 PS of power at 8000RPM and a max torque of 8.3Nm at a peaky 6500RPM. Hero claims a fuel efficiency of 65.8Km/L for the Maestro Edge. The exact fuel efficiency figures will be known when we get the scooter with us for a longer time soon.

The Maestro Edge weighs 110kgs, which is not very heavy to balance, even for new riders. The seat is comfortable and the rider sits at a good commanding height. Initial acceleration is quick and controlled, with no sudden bursts of power. The ride is very well balanced and that aids a lot in the comfort that this scooter has to offer. Scooters are mostly used for in city rides and the Maestro Edge is a perfect performer in these conditions. It can do an all-day commute at 30-40kmph on busy roads. Alternatively, it also can also do 60kmph with ease when you want it to on highways. No vibrations are felt at idle, or on the move. The suspension is well sorted out, and the good ride quality is a team effort of the good tyres and long wheelbase on this scooter. The combo brakes with the drum brakes setup do their job neatly. We hope Hero also gets a variant soon with front disc brakes as is the trend of the segment.

Hero Maestro Edge Verdict:

The Hero Maestro Edge looks trendy, feels well-built and rides nicely too. It has all that Hero MotoCorp promised as its very first in-house developed scooter. Now with the Maestro Edge things would be changing drastically for Hero, the Indian two-wheeler giant, which will be no longer dependent on Honda technology. Priced at Rs. 49,500/- for the LX and Rs. 50,500/- (Prices Ex-showroom, Delhi) for the top of the line VX variant, we find the Hero Maestro Edge a very strong, value-for-money and trendy contender for the ever-demanding Indian Scooter buyer. This one very definitely has a distinct ‘Edge’ over its competition!

Pics – Dr. Anand Narvekar

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