The automobile sector had high hopes from the Union budget this time around. Primary amongst them was a cut on excise duty to fuel demand, especially after the phase demonetization which was declining sales. The Finance minister though ignored the manufacturing sector in his speech and that means for now the automakers will have to rely on newer products to fuel sales. And the last fortnight has seen a lot of action when it comes to new launches, be it four wheels or two. Here’s a look at some of these vehicles that are vying for your attention.
Yamaha FZ25
Japanese 2 wheeler maker has launched a new 250 cc bike in the market. The FZ25 has been developed with a newly designed air-cooled, 249 cc, 4-stroke, single-cylinder, fuel-injected engine. With this newly launched street model, Yamaha is promising riding enjoyment as well as good fuel efficiency and environmental performance. Maximum power output is 20.9 PS at 8,000 rpm and the bike offers features like the LED headlight and an LCD instrument cluster. Yamaha says the FZ25 delivers a mileage of 43 km/L. Other Key Features of the FZ25 include rear tire with specially formulated compound and lightweight wheels, 282 mm diameter front disc and 220 mm diameter rear disc brakes, a 14-liter fuel tank with plastic resin tank cover, 160 mm of ground clearance and easy-to-grip aluminum grab-bars. The Ex- showroom price of this FZ is Rs. 1,19,500.
KTM RC 390 & RC 200
From east to the west; Austrian bike maker KTM has launched the KTM all-new RC 390 and RC 200 to give more options to the bike lovers in India. As with all KTMs, the RC range are also race-ready motorcycles with the KTM RC 390 boasting of features like the ride-by-wire, slipper clutch, ABS while the RC 200 comes with features like aluminum swing arm, trellis frame and upside down suspension. Both the RC 390 and RC 200 offer class-leading power of 43.5 PS and 25 PS respectively and sport all-new Racing Graphics for 2017. Both models are also compliant with BS IV norms. The RC 390 has been launched at a price of Rs. 2,25,300 (ex-showroom Delhi) while the RC 200 has been launched at Rs. 1,71,340 (ex-showroom Delhi). Launched in 2012 KTM has gone on to become the fastest growing sports motorcycle brand with over 1,00,000 KTM bikes on Indian roads. Europe’s No.1 bike brand has a rich legacy in the world of motorsports with more than 270 World Championship racing titles.
Mahindra KUV
Exactly a year after it first hit the roads, Mahindra has a launched a new avatar of its baby SUV, the KUV 100. Mahindra is calling the new variant a more stylish KUV. The car now sports dual tone exteriors where the buyer can choose between a flamboyant Red or a Dazzling Silver both of which come with a Metallic Black Roof. There’s also a new sporty black interior theme with new upholstery design. The car now sports larger 15” alloy wheels for an enhanced SUV stance. You can now also personalize your KUV100 with sporty and premium accessory kits both for exterior & interiors. The new features are available on the K8 6 seater variant in both petrol & diesel options. In addition to this the K6 & K6+ variant will now be available with spider design 14” alloy wheels. Prices for the KUV start at Rs. 4.58 Lakh (Ex-showroom, Delhi) and the new avatar will be available on the top end K8 variant for Rs. 6.37 Lakh (Ex-showroom, Delhi). The differential, company says is just Rs 13,000. The KUV has sold more than 42,000 units since its launch in January 2016.
Tata TaMo
As a core element of its transformation journey ‘FutuReady’, Tata Motors has presented its new Passenger Vehicle strategy and introduced its new sub-brand – TAMO. Tata says it will act as an incubating center of innovation towards new technologies, business models and partnerships in order to define future mobility solutions. TAMO as a new, separated vertical will operate in the first step on a low volume, low investment model to provide fast tracked proves of technologies and concepts. It will provide a digital eco-system, which will be leveraged by Tata Motors to support the mainstream business in the future. To achieve sustainable financial performance, while delivering exciting innovations, Tata Motors is aiming to be amongst the top 3 passenger vehicles by 2019, in India. Taking an outside-in approach, Tata Motors reviewed its existing PV product portfolio and formulated a new PV strategy based on the evaluation of different customer segments and global progressions in terms of design, technology and innovation.
Shams Naqvi is an anchor/producer for the News X motor show Living Cars