AutoQ is our weekly round-up of automobile stories.
1. Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Diesel Launched with New Engine & Gearbox
Maruti Suzuki has given the Ciaz sedan a new 1.5 litre diesel engine, replacing the aging 1.3 litre diesel that it used to source from Fiat earlier. The new Maruti Suzuki Ciaz diesel is available in three variants priced between Rs 9.97 lakh and Rs 11.37 lakh ex-showroom.
Read more about the new Maruti Suzuki Ciaz here.
2. Royal Enfield Trails vs Bullet 500 & Himalayan: What’s Different?
Royal Enfield recently launched its niche scrambler-inspired iteration of the Bullet called the Royal Enfield Trials Works Replica. It comes in two engine sizes – a 500 cc variant priced at Rs 2.07 lakh and a 350 cc variant priced at Rs 1.62 lakh.
Now what makes these bikes special? Well, it’s a tribute to the original custom-built Royal Enfield Trials built in 1949 – this being a more modern iteration.
Read the full story here.
3. BMW Launches 530i M Sport in India to Rival Merc E-Class, Audi A6
German luxury carmaker BMW has launched the 530i M Sport in India, priced at Rs 59.20 lakh (ex-showroom). The model now comes with a petrol engine and is locally produced at Chennai.
The BMW 530i comes with a BS-VI compliant engine. The 2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine puts out 252 bhp of power and 350 Nm of torque with an 8-speed automatic transmission. It can do 0-100 kmph in a claimed 6.2 seconds. It has five switchable driving modes that alter its performance capabilities.
The company already sells the diesel variant of the 5-Series model in the country.
Read the full story here.
4. Micromax Co-Founder Plans to Launch Electric Two-Wheelers in India
Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma is shifting his focus from mobile phones to electric motorcycles in India with a new brand. The company, which has struggled to brave the Chinese mobile brands onslaught, resulted in Sharma looking at other avenues for business in the country.
And looking to ride the wave or interest for electric vehicles, Sharma is keen to hit the ground running this year.
Read the full story here.
5. Hyundai’s Upcoming Subcompact SUV Is Called the Venue
Hyundai India will be launching yet another SUV this year. It is a subcompact SUV that so far was codenamed QXi. It will now be called the Hyundai Venue and will compete with the likes of Mahindra XUV300, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport and Tata Nexon.
Hyundai needed to bring in a smaller compact SUV than the Creta to compete in this segment, as the Creta is a little more expensive compared to the rest of the competition. Hyundai calls the Venue a “connected SUV”, which we assume means it will have telematics on board, allowing users to track & interact with it on different parameters.
Read the full story here.
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