Mahindra to end JV with Renault, to sell Logan under its name

     Home grown SUV manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra will buyout the 49% stake in the Mahindra Renault JV and sell the lone brand in the JV under its own name. That means Logan will now be sold as Mahindra Logan and not Mahindra Renault Logan.

     Mr Anand Mahindra has not disclosed the amount of the 49% stake buy out in the JV and said Logan is an innocent car and deserves one more chance. Logan had been highly successful vehicle when it was launched but some how lost track down the line thanks to the Govt. policiy of cutting down the excise tax on the small cars.

     Mahindra is allowed to build the Logan for the next five years in India and is working on various options on the Logan platform, a mini SUV on the Logan platform with a 1.5L CRDi engine is on the cars and is expected to hit the roads not less than 2012. Mahindra now has the rights to change the dimensions of Logan, that means we see lot of changes in the exterior, interior and a sub-4 meter car which is soon going to be launched as Logan CS pitted against Indigo CS.

     Renault association with Logan will be used till the end of 2010 and from 18 months from now Mahindra will sell Logan as a different brand. Mahindra will pay royalty to Renault for each Logan cars sold as percentage per car which is bare minimum in terms of cost of the car.

Yamaha to launch YZF R125 soon

     Yamaha Motor India will launch the much awaited bike YZF R125 soon in India. Unconfirmed sources claim that YZF R125 will be launched on 17th of April which is just 4 days away. If Yamaha does so, it could gain considerable market share as other bikes manufacturers are contemplating to launch new bikes in the same segment.

     Yamaha YZF R125 is powered by liquid cooled single cylinder 4 stroke engine, which delivers max power of 14.5 bhp at 9000 rpm and max torque of 12.2 Nm at 8000 rpm.

     YZF R125 will be priced at Rs 83,754/- (ex-showroom, New Delhi). It will be available in various colour options - Midnight black, Impact Yellow, Burning Blue and Sport White.

     YZF R125 will be equipped with features such as Fuel Injection, 6-speed transmission, wet-sump lubrication system, electric start, Steel Deltabox Chassis, R6-style mid-ship muffler, Aluminum swinging arm, Duel catalysers and Air Induction system.

Honda unveils electric scooter in Japan

Honda unveiled a prototype of a zero emission electric scooter at a research facility on the outskirts of Tokyo.

The scooter named as EV-neo is powered by a lithium ion battery which matches the performance of a 50cc petrol engine. The scooter can travel 30 km on a single charge at up to 30 kmph. The battery can be charged up to 80% in just 20 minutes. . Honda claims the scooter as “quiet and clean, contributing to creating a low-carbon society”.

Tata Ace crosses 1,00,000 sales mark

     Tata Ace mini truck has crossed 1,00,000 sales mark in the domestic market segment for the year 2009-10. This makes it the first brand to achieve the feat in a single year. Currently Ace is available in 4 different variants.

Press Release:

     "In 2009-10, the sales of the Tata Ace crossed the one lakh mark to reach 1,10,032 units. It has thus become India's only goods commercial vehicle to achieve the milestone," Tata Motors said in a statement.

Nissan Micra Indian Website

     Nissan has launched the Indian website of Micra small car which will be launch soon. Visit the Nissan Micra website Here.

Next Generation Fiat Uno Spied

     The spy pictures of the Next Generation Fiat Uno have surfaced on the net. What we see on the new Uno is three grille air intakes on one side, massive lower grill and clear headlights and fog lights and chunky fender flares.

     According to the leaked details, the new Uno will be 3..77m long, 1.64m wide and 1.49m wide. It will be powered by two petrol engines, a 1.0 liter producing 75 bhp and a 1.4 liter with 102 bhp of power.

     The new Fiat Uno is expected to be launched in Brazil in the mid of this year and may likely to be followed in other developing countries as well.

Ford Figo Performance and Mileage

FUEL EFFECIENCY

1.2L Petrol
City	10.9 Kmpl
Highway	15.4 Kmpl

1.4L Diesel
City	15.4 Kmpl
Highway	18.5 Kmpl

PERFORMANCE

1.2L Petrol
0-60 Kmpl	6.49 Seconds
0-100 Kmpl	16.36 Seconds

1.4L Diesel
0-60 Kmpl	6.18 Seconds
0-100 Kmpl	16.26 Seconds