AutoQ is our weekly round-up of automotive stories.
1. India’s Best-Selling SUVs, Hatchbacks and Sedans in The Past Year
The last financial year 2018-2019 hasn’t been a pretty bright one for the automotive industry. There were multiple factors at play that resulted in a slow growth of just 2.7 percent year-on-year overall in the passenger car market in India.
Car sales were hit by higher insurance costs owing to an increase in third party premiums, rising fuel prices because of fluctuations in oil, and high interest rates on auto loans. The price of diesel has risen more than petrol reducing the cost differential between the fuels and affecting demand.
In markets like the Delhi-NCR region, which accounts for nearly 12 percent of the total passenger car sales, a change in diesel car registration norms also affected overall demand.
Read the story here.
2. Hero MotoCorp Debuts XPulse Off-Road & Xtreme 200S Bikes in India
Hero MotoCorp is slowly expanding its portfolio with new bikes and on Wednesday, the company has launched three products carrying 200cc engine from its stable.
The bikes, XPulse 200, Xpulse 200T and Xtreme 200S borrow the same engine from the Xtreme 200R which was launched in late 2018 by the company.
As for the XPulse series, this is Hero’s entry into the adventure biking segment in India, and with a price tag of Rs 97,000 (ex-showroom), it is almost one lakh cheaper than the next best off-road vehicle, the Himalayan from Royal Enfield.
The other two bikes, Xpulse 200T and Xtreme 200S have been priced at Rs 94,000 and Rs 98,500 respectively. The company hasn’t revealed the availability details for now, but we expect pre-booking to start in the coming days.
Read here to know everything about these bikes.
3. Honda’s Premium Compact SUV HR-V to Replace BR-V in India in 2019
Honda has finally decided to give a go-ahead to the launch of its all-new SUV HR-V in India, reported Autocar India. The new addition to its Indian line-up is likely to be launched around the Diwali festival, according to sources.
The automaker has been evaluating the launch of the HR-V for sometime now, due to the limited amount of localised components. Honda will now import the SUV via the CKD route and assemble the vehicle in India, reported Autocar India.
The SUV is equipped with a 1.8-litre petrol engine mated to a CVT gearbox. 120hp 1.6-litre diesel variant is also in the pipeline.
Both the engines are expected to receive upgrades to make them BSVI-compliant.
Read the story here.
4. Ronaldo Buys Another Bugatti, World’s Most Expensive Car: Reports
If reports are to be believed, Cristiano Ronaldo has laid his hands on another Bugatti hyper car – the one-off Bugatti La Voiture Noire – reportedly the most expensive car ever built.
Bugatti had made the La Voiture Noire for a special customer and although Bugatti refused to officially identify the owner, Spanish sports daily Marca reported that the new owner is the Portuguese footballer who plays for Italian Serie A giants Juventus.
There were previous reports that it was owned by Ferdinand Piech, former Chairman of the Volkswagen Group. However, according to a Daily Mail report, Ronaldo has spent 11 million euros (9.49 million pound) on the Bugatti which was first presented to the world at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show.
Read the story here.
5. Top 200cc Motorcycles You Can Buy In India in 2019
There has been a recent torrent of 200cc motorcycles in the Indian two-wheeler market that’s mostly dominated by 100cc to 150cc bikes.
This means that the demand for more power is being met by aspirational products that not only satiate their need for speed and adventure, but also offer an attractive price tag.
The latest 200cc motorcycles launched in India have been the Hero MotoCorp line-up of XPulse and Xtreme bikes, but there are many more you can consider when looking to buy a 200cc motorcycle.
Read the story here to know the bikes you can buy in this segment.
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