News highlights of the day include TVS, Duke 790, Suzuki Gixxer and V-Class.
TVS Electric Vehicles – TVS recently launched the iQube electric scooter in India and the company has plans to launch more electric vehicles in the coming years. The EV portfolio from TVS is likely to have the Creon too.
Mercedes V-Class Marco Polo – Mercedes will be expanding the V-Class line-up in India by launching the Marco Polo edition of the luxury MPV. The Marco Polo edition will have a seating capacity for 4 people and it will be positioned as a premium camping van with a lot of features like a fully equipped kitchen, wardrobe, fold-out table and a 2-seater luxury couch. Will be launched on 6th Feb 2020.
KTM Duke 790 BS6 – The KTM Duke 790 is currently BS4 compliant and it will be discontinued for a while once the BS6 norms come into place. However, KTM is already gearing up to launch the BS6 version of the motorcycle and it is expected to arrive in the market in the second quarter of 2020. It might get a price hike too.
Suzuki Gixxer – Suzuki 2-wheelers has launched the India-made Gixxer in Japan and the motorcycle is priced at Rs. 2.30 lakhs (JPY 3,52,000)! In terms of equipment, the Japanese-spec bike is very similar to the India-spec version. It is also powered by the same 155cc, SOHC, air-cooled engine producing 13.60 PS and 14 Nm.
Motor Trivia – Did you know, the Ford Ka hatchback sold in overseas markets used to come with a diesel engine that was directly derived from Fiat’s 1.3-litre MJD engine. Yes, the same engine which is fondly called the National Diesel Engine of India.
Comment of the day – Vedanta Dasgupta – “What next, Dominar 100 with spoke wheels and drum brakes? I won’t be surprised if Dominar gets discontinued in the next 2-3 years. After that Rajiv Bajaj will relaunch it by the name Discover Unlimited Edition.”
