Author: AutomotiveKeeda_admin

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Mercedes Benz 230SL and Feroz Khan’s love for cars

By: Javed Ali Khan

Pictures: Faisal Khan & Screenshots from movie Dharmatma

Recently we came across a red Mercedes Benz 230SL which we saw in Mumbai city. This made us to dig deep and see if by any chance the beauty on wheels had any link with Indian film industry. The car was based on the Mercedes-Benz W111, a chassis code given to a range of Mercedes’ vehicles produced between 1959 and 1971 which included 4 door sedans (1959-1968) and 2 door coupés and cabriolets (1961 to 1971).

Our research resulted in some good outcomes not only about the make of the car but also the link it had with the Bollywood. Let’s talk about the Bollywood connection first. There is no denying of the fact that among all the actors we have seen in the Indian film industry, it was always Feroz Khan who used cars as a ‘Character’ in his movies. Instead of cars/bikes just being a part of movies for the sake of it, Feroz Khan used vehicles in his movies as a living character. Yes, there were actors like Rajesh Khanna, Dilip Kumar and few more who used cars as part of the movies integral story line but it was Feroz Khan who took the risk of bringing in expensive cars and then destroying them or using them for chase scenes in his movies.

The red beauty, a 230SL from Mercedes Benz, whose production started in June 1963 and lasted till 1967 had an option of either 4 speed manual transmission or a very responsive fluid couple 4 speed automatic transmission which was linked to a 2308cc, M127 inline 6 engine with a power of 148 horses and 196 NM torque. The 230SL with Mumbai registration was used by Feroz Khan in the super hit movie Dharmatma. The car was in Golden Champagne colour then and was used in one of the chase scenes for which a helicopter was also used.

Feroz Khan is also known for the very famous scene of 1980 movie Qurbani where a 50 paisa bet is placed by him on whether he can drive a Mercedes Benz 220 or not and ends up in destroying a brand-new Mercedes Benz. There were many chases sequence in the movie which involved car and motorcycles being crashed and this resulted in making it one of the most expensive movies, budgets wise, of the year 1980.

We hope you loved reading our article and the pictures we clicked. Please comment to let us know what you think and  share our article as it would encourage us to come out with more articles like these. We are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube.

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Mahindra S210 named ‘XUV 3oo’ – launch in Feb 2019

By Admin

Pictures: Mahindra

Mahindra has named S210 as ‘XUV3oo’ – pronounced as XUV, 3 double ‘Oh’ and with this, company has entered the very successful – ‘sub 4 metre’ – sub-compact SUV segment of Indian automobile market. Although earlier, Mahindra had launched Quanto which was later renamed as NuvoSport with an aim of achieving success like Ecosport did for Ford India.

    
The upcoming, all new, ‘XUV3oo’ will be pitched against the very successful Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford Ecosport and the Tata’s Nexon which recently achieved NCAP 4 star for adult safety and 3-star rating in child occupancy protection. XUV3oo is based on SsangYong Tivoli platform which has received multiple safety and ergonomic awards including a Grade 1 safety award from the 2015 KNCAP (Korean New Car Assessment Program), automotive safety test.

Indeed, XUV3oo resembles SsangYong Tivoli but the overall look and appearance is based on XUV5oo cheetah inspired design especially the headlamps, the fog lamps and wheel arches. The SUV will also boast of dual LED DRLs and LED tail lamps giving it a bold and charismatic road presence and yes one has to appreciate that boomerang effect to the DRLs at the front makes you stop doing everything and look at XUV3oo with deep breath.

XUV3oo will have – first in its class – dual zone FATC (Fully Automatic Temperature Control), all four disk brakes and seven airbags. The SUV will have a – expected – 1.2-litre petrol motor and the 1.5-litre diesel motor linked to 6-speed gear box and will have highest torque in its segment, as shared by the Mahindra team.

The interior straightway looks rich with premium upholstery and a touch screen infotainment system making driving surely a pleasure. The car also has ESP, ABS, cruise control apart from air bags as safety features. Not to forget, it will even have an option of Sun-roof but will be launched without an automatic transmission.

The car will be sold through the mainstream Mahindra showroom and not from premium store in store showroom specifically meant for selling Alturas G4. Mahindra, currently, is also working on the electric version of XUV3oo which will be out in 2020.


The sub compact SUV will be built in Nasik plant, will be available both in petrol and diesel and will be available in the Indian market in the first half of 2019.

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The Name is Harrier, Tata Harrier

By Admin

Pictures: Tata Motors

 Tata motors had already impressed everyone during the course of 2018 Auto Expo by giving a glimpse of their SUV code named H5X concept. And by naming this SUV as ‘Harrier’, which sounds quite impressive, Tata has indeed taken the right step towards making a connect with the prospective buyers. With the success of their recent products starting from Tiago to Hexa, Tata is riding high and is leaving no stone unturned for keeping the momentum in their favour.

 

As per the posts made by Tata Motors on various social media platform, the #Tata Harrier will be launched in the first quarter of the next year. The SUV, as per the company, is based on ‘IMPACT Design 2.0’ philosophy and offers extraordinary exterior design, thoughtfully and intelligently designed plush interiors, future ready connectivity and best-in-class infotainment.

The monocoque SUV is being called as Born of Pedigree as it is engineered on ‘Optimal Modular Efficient Global Advance’ architecture which is derived from Land Rover D8 architecture. Mr. Mayank Pareek stated that – ‘Tata Harrier’, yet another game changer, to offer our customers a product, that is not only exciting but that which will take our brand value to the next level.

 

The company defines the word Harrier as ‘A dominant beast imbued with endless stamina and strength. Gifted with unwavering instinct. Effortlessly conquers every challenge thrown its way’ and is going quite strong with its marketing. Its now to be seen how Tata Motors would price the SUV so as it helps the company to achieve the desirable targets.

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Mahindra U321 named ‘Marazzo’, to launched before Diwali, 2018

By Admin

Pictures: Mahindra Automotive

A re-tweet from Mr. Anand Mahindra on 28th July was more than enough for everyone to sit back and be ready for what was called as ‘Name-Revealing’ event or should we say ‘NamKaran’ of to be launched MPV which was code named U321. As per the tweet the event was to be held on 31st of July and it happened as planned.

Mahindra Automotive revealed the name of its soon-to-be-launched MPV which in Basque – a sub language of Spanish – means Shark. Scorpio, Bolero, Quanto Verito etc. all of them have letter ‘O’ as the end except Thar. So, it was expected that Mahindra would come up with a name which has ‘O’ at the last letter of the name and that has happened here too. Mahindra has named U321 as ‘MARAZZO’.

The name means shark and the similarity between car and shark is not upto the name but many design aspects of Marazzo are ‘Shark Inspired’. Mahindra while developing Marazzo has involved The Mahindra Design Studio and Italian design house Pininfarina. The ‘Shark Inspired’ Marazzo has a very aggressive but distinctive front frill which reflects the teeth of Shark. This makes the MPV very aggressive but in a beautiful manner. The tail light completely looks like the tail of a shark and that small antenna literally resembles a sharks fin.

The engine is new and will be efficient, robust and most importantly affordable to maintain. It is nothing what we have seen in the past in other Mahindra products. We expect it to be a 1500cc diesel engine initially. Also, the air-conditioning at the rear is not only ‘first in the segment’ but also ‘first in the industry’ which is based on ‘Surround Cool Technology’.

The interior, though an outline was shared, looks smooth and clean. The dashboard, the instrument cluster, the seats and design completely reflect the work which went behind the MPV by Mahindra Design Studio and Pininfarina. The expected date of launch is before Diwali this year i.e. 2018.  Dr. Pawan Goenka, Managing Director, M&M Ltd. said, ‘Marazzo is a brand new platform and is not a carry over from any existing product, Marazzo will not replace any of the existing product and it will fit into the current market very feasibly.

As per Mr. Goenka, 3 cars will be launched this year out of which 2 will launch before Diwali and one after Diwali. Also, the product to be launched after Diwali will be a premium product, namely G4 Rexton, which will be based and will be in direct competition with types of  Maruti Suzuki Nexa premium outlets.

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Royal Enfield Mammoth – RE to showcase a 830cc motorcycle in EICMA 2018

 

By Admin

Pictures: Royal Enfield India

Royal Enfield recently tweeted two pictures of a massive motorcycle which resembles a Bobber make. The bike is assumed to be an 830cc DOHC twin-cylinder, a V-twin with a DOHC setup, liquid cooled engine with a capacity of 80-90 bhp. Till now it was said that the all-new 650, GT & Interceptor, will be the largest motorcycles in terms of engine capacity, from Royal Enfield but with the glimpse which have been shared by Royal Enfield on their official Twitter handle, it looks like that a mammoth has been made by them and the same will be showcased in the upcoming “Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori” or also known as “the Milan Motorcycle Shows” on 8th of November, 2018

It should be noted that in the same event back in 2017, Royal Enfield had showcased the soon to be launched GT650 and Interceptor650. The grapevine is that this 830cc motorcycle which looks like a bobber, will be launched and will give direct competition to manufacturers like Harley Davidson and Triumph. As of now we can only wait and see how beautiful and economically sensible this Mammoth would be, but one thing is for sure that Royal Enfield is moving in the right direction.

 

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Jawa – Pictures of Test Mule

By Admin

Pictures: Shared via Whatsapp

 

With all the buzz going around for #JawaMotorcycles yet to be launched product, things got a bit more exciting on 31st of October, 2018 when someone circulated pictures of the Test Mule of the Jawa motorcycle which has been registered in Maharashtra. This is normal as the 293cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled DOHC motored motorcycle is going to be launched in Mumbai on 15th November, 2018.

If we are correct then the fully camouflaged motorcycle was being driven to Mumbai, where it will be showcased for the very first time, from Pithampur plant in Madhya Pradesh where it is being manufactured. Recently, Mahindra had shared the glimpse of the all new engine in a media event which filled the market and the lovers of Jawa with excitement.

Mahindra is trying hard to keep the price of the final product as competitive as possible and take a bite into #RoyalEnfield’s current market share. It should be noted that in the two wheeler market Mahindra has not been that successful with products like Mojo, Gusto etc.

We are eagerly waiting for the launch of the motorcycle and hope that Mahindra will bring back the magic of Jawa which would eventually give a breath of fresh air to Mahindra Two Wheeler’s segment.

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TVS Star City Plus Review – Specs, Features, Fuel Efficiency etc.

By Admin

Pictures: Admin

We all start from somewhere and the Start is always small, which is good. Even I feel that one should always ‘Think Big – Start Small – Scale Fast’ and that is what many of the Indian motorcycle manufacturers have done in the recent times. Thirukkurungudi Vengaram Sundaram – sounds a bit unknown to many but what if we tell you that it stands for initials of our very own TVS Motor Company – which had a very humble beginning and in recent times has brought in great products like Apache RTR series, TVS NTORQ 125 and many more.

The product range starts from mopeds – one which we will definitely review very soon in the time to come –  to road legal motorcycles which are full of racing DNA. But today we are going to discuss #TVS #StreetCity+ or should I say Star City Plus and how it redefines the competition in Commuter segment.

Design, Looks & Comfort:

A commuter motorcycle, a motorcycle used for reaching from point A to point B, with a 100-130 CC engine capacity, which is low on torque and high on fuel efficiency, and usually, does not requires to look good. But then again, commuters like #StarCity+ need eyes and heart which are serious about appreciating beauty and this is what happens when you don’t look seriously at StarCity+. It is like a girl/boy in the party whose overall appearance does not influence your brain sensors which are responsible for defining beauty to your heart. But when you look at StarCity+ with some patience and seriousness you realise that the same girl/boy has the best features.

The tank has sharp edges just below the TVS logo, looks good, which could have been more eye catching, had it lasted till the end and had not ended abruptly in the middle. But, if we go by what TVS has to say about the tank design, well it lowers the coefficient of friction and helps the bike to easily slice through air, then one can easily ignore that abrupt ending. The side panel with 3d emblem saying ‘StarCity+’ looks amazing and makes the side profile of the bike appealing. The seat of StarCity+ along with that all aluminium grab-rail adds to the looks department. The exhaust may not sound amazing, again a not so important thing among the commuters, but the ‘EcoThrust’ motif on exhaust muffler with all that chrome makes the side looks catchy.

The electric start along with Kick start option make things comfortable especially when I used the bike in streets around my residence and in bumper to bumper traffic of Delhi. An ‘Engine Kill Switch’ may have made the life more luxurious as many a times during traffic signals which were more than 30 seconds, required taking away life from the engine by turning the key to ‘Off’.

The multi-function console of the bike was like a friend who is as good in English as she is in Hindi and is always ready to help you out in your exam. It has Economy and Power indicator which really helped me to control the accelerator and reminded that I was driving a commuter bike and not a sport bike. The console has ‘Econometer’, a term used by TVS to define the indicator showing remaining fuel in the bike. Oh, by the way google accepts ‘Econometer’ as a term but MsWord somehow does not agrees with either Google or TVS.  Apart from this the console has ‘odometer’, ‘turn signal indicators’ and ‘service reminder’ indicator which are again, like the friend I have spoken about, makes life easier.

Also, the colour options provided are 11 and the quality of work is good and has definitely helped TVS Motor to attract more customers.

Ride, Handling & Performance:

Here I want to confess one thing, I have a tendency of reaching my destinations late, not because of being too slow while driving but because of being a bit lazy, until and unless the work has to do something with automobiles. This is where the heart of the StarCity+ which is a 109.7 cc engine with a maximum power of 8.4PS @ 7000rpm and maximum torque of 8.7Nm @ 5000rpm made my life punctual and easy. Jumping from one traffic signal to the other was not difficult as the engine packs power for the city drive but once you enter open stretches – highways, lack of power, especially when you try to achieve 3 digit figure, is clearly visible.

We all know that it is difficult to have that perfect recipe which gives satisfaction not only to stomach but to soul also. In case of StarCity+ the very satisfaction to stomach, if not to soul, is provided by its ability to handle awesomely in city and on highway and ride quality is good enough to keep you seated even while facing the idiotically designed speed breakers and un-seasonal potholes. Yes, the very lack of power on highway is taken care of by the handling capability and ride comfort of Starcity+.

Fuel Consumption & Price:

The very deciding factor for achieving good sales figure in this segment, most of the time, is the fuel consumption and price of the motorcycle. We drove around Delhi and by that we mean literally traveling to Rohini from South Delhi – making visits to doctor’s clinic in my neighbourhood where bumper to bumper traffic and sudden breaking are quite common. We drove in conditions for which any commuter motorcycle should be prepared for and still, the 109.7CC engine gave an astounding 60+ km/litre range to us especially when the motorcycle given to us was brand new and had literally few Kilometres (not even into hundred) on the odometer.

Price of this amazing no compromise motorcycle is something which has helped TVS keep its sales counter busy. The price ranges from Rs.45991 for the base (Kick Start MAG) to Rs. 51770 for the top end (dual tone) version ex-showroom Delhi. All in all 4 variants with multiple options are available.

Our Verdict:

We gave a lot of thought and time while coming up with this article. The reason being that TVS Starcity+ is a great product, a dish which has been prepared as per the book but somehow lacks zing, the same zing which could make it a household name. Therefore, we have concluded about TVS Starcity+ in the following manner:

 

  1. Best Thing about Star City Plus-

 

  1. The peppy Engine with good amount of torque for that fast take off from a traffic signal.

 

  1. The fuel consumption impressed me a lot because I used this bike in 60:40 ratio in city (60) and on Highways (40) and the almost 60+ average made my experience quite ‘Economically Emotional’.

 

  1. The comfort for the pillion rider was amazing as far as comparing it with Hero, Honda, Bajaj or Yamaha is concerned.

 

  1. What more is expected-

 

  1. The bike should come along with front disc brakes. Once riding the starcity+ a dog came suddenly out of nowhere and three of us ‘just managed’ to save ourselves from getting bruised.

 

  1. The seats are fantastic, especially for the pillion but as far as the front portion of the seat is concerned, in our case, if ‘sudden breaking’ is done, the rider hits the tank. Courtesy Delhi traffic this happened many a times and every time I was happy that nothing happened to the most sensitive part of my body.

 

Rest, the Star City Plus, according to me is an amazing product which is a perfect combination of comfort and fuel consumption which is lighter on pocket price wise and maintenance wise.

 

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Ms. Aishwarya Pissay to participate in Baja Arajon 2018

By Admin

Pictures: TVS Motor Company

A very positive news for Indian automotive and racing arena. Ms. Aishwarya Pissay from Bangalore has been selected to be a part of four-member squad – consisting of Adrien Metge, Michael Metge and Spaniard Lorenzo Santolino – of Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team for upcoming Baja Arajon world rally 2018. The rally starts from 20th July 2018 and ends on 22nd July 2018 in Spain. It should be noted that Ms. Pissay is the first Indian women factory racer to participate and compete in Baja Arajon. Ms. Pissay shared that this will be her first international rally and is grateful to TVS racing for giving this opportunity to her.

Team Manager – TVS Racing, Mr. B. Selvaraj shared that they are fielding a new team which consists of first Indian woman to participate in Baja World Rally and is waiting to see how the dynamics play out.  Ms. A Pissay has many feathers under her belt which involve winning:

  1. Raid De Himalaya 2017
  2. Dakshin Dare 2017
  3. Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), 2017
  4. TVS Apache Ladies One Make Championship 2017

The fact that the team will be using Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team’s Dakar machine – RTR 450, takes the whole experience to another level. We wish and hope that team Sherco TVS Rally does great and MS. Aishwarya Pissay tastes a win and makes India proud.

 

 

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TVS Apache RTR 200 4V 2.0 launched

By Admin

Pictures: TVSApache.com

Few days ago the very idea of owning a motorcycle with slipper clutch in India meant either buying a Kawasaki Ninja 300 or KTM Duke 390. But within few days everything changed as TVS Motors announced and officially posted on their website the arrival of the Apache RTR 200 4V R2.0 race edition which is fitted with A-RT slipper clutch where A-RT stand for Anti-Reverse Torque. TVS motor, by introducing slipper clutch, is trying to reflect upon the racing DNA of RTR series.

The introduction of A-RT slipper clutch at a price which varies from Rs.95,000/- to 1.08 lakh, Ex-showroom Delhi, is indeed a tough task for other manufacturers to achieve. The all new TVS Apache RTR 200 4V R2.0 also boasts of well sculpted fly-screen for an aggressive racing stance and new sticker combination for that sporty look to allure more customers and creating a rush in the lane leading to booking counter. Oh! Please ignore the words in Bold.

Carrying it forward, there are three variant which are available – RTR 200 4V R2.0, RTR 200 Fi 4V R2.0 and RTR 200 4V ABS R2.0 with five colour combinations of black, grey, red, white and matte black. The racing DNA is highlighted by the FI  which has twin spray fuel-injection and the dual -channel ABS with Rear wheel lift-off protection which detects and helps to recover wheel lock.

The whole game comes down to one thing, THE PRICE. Yes we are discussing it again because it is the price of RTR 200 4V R2.0 with slipper clutch which excites not only us and but also the prospective customers. At a price ranging from Rs. 95000/ ex-showroom for the RTR 200 4V R2.0 to Rs.1.08 lakh ex-showroom for the RTR 200 4V ABS R2.0, TVS has played a psychological price game which must have confused the competition. And yes this time don’t ignore the words in Bold.

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TVS Apache RR One Make Series – Top 12 racers selected

 

By Admin

Pictures: TVS Motor company

TVS Apache RR One Make series is to begin from June 2018 and TVS Racing – factory racing arm of TVS Motor Company is finally out with the top 12 racers selected for the megaevent. The event is the very first as far as TVS Apache RR One Make Series is concerned and will be conducted as part of Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (INMRC).

 

B Selvaraj, Team Manager, TVS Racing stated that, “the response across the country was phenomenal. This further translated into the number of entries and we were delighted to see new names spring into the final 12. We are glad to have such spirited and talented individuals on our platform and look forward to see them compete fiercely in the cup astride Race tuned TVS Apache RR 310. I wish them all the best for the cup.”

The selection rounds were conducted at the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) in Chennai. The selection was open to riders with a podium finish in INMRC or any One Make Championship and only 40 qualified for selection round out of 287 entries. TVS Racing has made changes in the RR 310 by equipping it with a free-flow exhaust, modified foot- peg to provide race ergonomics, race tuned Electronic Control Unit and improved induction system.