With an aim to further strengthen its position in the scooter market, India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd has inaugurated its first Scooter Boutique in West Bengal at Madhyamgram on Jessore Road, Kolkata under the banner of its dealership ‘Tanushka Automobiles’. On a pan India basis, this is the fourth Scooter Boutique after successful launches in Chennai, Vizag and Jamshedpur.

A first of its kind initiative in India, Yamaha has conceptualised scooter boutiques to drive the interests of scooter customers towards innovation, style and sportiness. The boutique also aims to amplify the global excitement of Yamaha and connect scooter customers in India with their passion to the worldwide trend of scootering.

The new Scooter Boutique in Madhyamgram covers an area of 7000 square feet area for both sales and service and also provides a complete range of scooters from Yamaha available in India. This scooter boutique will be a one stop solution for customers for buying scooters and fashion accessories. Through unique buying experience, the boutique will engage customers to canonise their individualistic sense of fashion and comfort. Yamaha’s highest level of customer service along with the product DNA of style, sportiness and innovation opens out in a fitting scale through the scooter boutique.

Speaking on the occasion, Roy Kurian, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd. said, “Since its first opening, Yamaha’s scooter boutiques have seen tremendous footfall and positive feedback from customers. In order to meet the burgeoning demand of scooters in West Bengal, Yamaha is excited to launch its first scooter boutique in the state. With the current scooter market share of 16% in West Bengal, Yamaha aims to further strengthen its position by offering world class products to the customers.” “Yamaha’s scooter boutique will host exciting experiences of buying and servicing that draws value from Company’s DNA. The customers in the region could now match their need for personal mobility with their lifestyle and personality,” Mr. Kurian added.

Over the past decade, the scooter segment in India has been growing fast with the demand coming mostly from families and female customers, who need the product for their personal mobility and lifestyle requirements. The trend is flourishing in the growing non-metro markets with increase in disposable incomes.

Yamaha started with scooters in India in 2012 with its vision to grow as a personal mobility brand. Over the years, Yamaha has built an attractive line-up in the segment including the fashion scooter Fascino, new Alpha disc brake version for family riding, unisex scooter Cygnus Ray Z and Cygnus Ray – ZR for boys. The company has received rave reviews for its impressive range of products and has revved countless hearts.

After the successful launch of the Art of Performance tour in Aamby Valley, followed by various parts of India, Jaguar brings its exhilarating drive experience – The Art of Performance Tour to Kolkata. This dynamic tour will give customers and select media the opportunity to experience what it is like to get behind the wheel of a Jaguar under the guidance of expert instructors.

The entire range of Jaguar vehicles, the XE, XF, XJ, F-PACE and F-TYPE, will be available for the guests to experience. The event entails a series of specially designed track exercises on an open tarmac.

The event is scheduled on 3rd and 4th February 2018 at Behala Flying Club in Kolkata.

Jaguar’s all-electric I-PACE promises to deliver both rapid charging and rapid performance when it goes on sale on 1 March. Capable of charging in 45 minutes and with sports car performance and SUV practicality, the I-PACE will be the perfect every day car – whether on the school run, daily commute or even coping with sub-zero temperatures.

Rigorously tested across extremes of terrain and temperature, the I-PACE has tamed the Arctic at Jaguar Land Rover’s cold weather test facility in Arjeplog, Sweden, at temperatures as low as -40°C.

Ian Hoban, Jaguar Vehicle Line Director said: “Not only will the I-PACE charge quickly enough for our customers to carry out their everyday lives, it will offer powerful and precise performance in a variety of conditions and climactic extremes. Allied with the versatile credentials of our celebrated PACE family, this will be an electric performance SUV like no other.”

Customers will be able to use mains power to prepare the car’s battery and cabin temperature ahead of a journey. Pre-conditioning the car ensures maximum range, performance and comfort whether temperatures are freezing cold or extremely hot. Setting up preferred charging times and pre-conditioning schedules can be done from either the on-board InControl system, or the Remote smartphone APP, and is as easy as setting an alarm.

Back in 1954, Suzuki Motor Company Limited was formed and Michio Suzuki designed and developed his first automobile together with son-in-law Shunzo who headed the young engineering team, many of whom were in their twenties.

Using Suzuki’s ‘Yaramaika’ principal (translated as ‘Let’s do it’) and his determination to drive forward, Shunzo quickly began researching vehicles produced overseas, gaining a wealth of knowledge to build the first Suzuki car, known as the Suzulight.

Shunzo Suzuki used several European models for benchmarking as well as an Austin 7 from the UK, a popular car of the era and available at a very reasonable cost. The Suzulight was a compact and light vehicle weighing less than 500kg, it was designed to be easy to drive and maintain as well as inexpensive to buy. Powered by a 360cc, 16PS two cylinder, two-stroke engine it was way ahead of its time with independent coil spring suspension and rack and pinion steering.

Measuring just 2,990mm long, 1,295mm wide and 1,400mm high the Suzulight easily met the Japanese ‘Keijidosha’ or Kei light car legislation and Shunzo Suzuki and his team quickly began their first development road testing of it.

As a prototype car, its most memorable early drive was a long trip across the Hakone mountainous region between Hamamatsu and Tokyo which proved to be a real challenge as no paved roads existed at the time. Although arriving in Tokyo very late in the evening, the team arrived to present the car to the President of ‘Yanase’ or Government Automotive office. The President stayed on late to personally greet the team and made his way out to thoroughly test the car.

He returned very impressed some time later and immediately gave Shunzo and his team full approval to put the car into production. This commenced in October 1955 and Shunzo made his first two deliveries to doctors who used the small and lightweight car on their daily rounds. Initial production was 3-4 cars per month but by early 1956 monthly volume had climbed to 30 units. The Suzuki success story had begun and in 1957, Shunzo Suzuki became the 2nd President of Suzuki Motor Company Limited.

It’s rumoured that only one or two of the original Suzulight cars exist now, one of which is in the Suzuki Plaza Museum in Hamamatsu City, Japan.

64 years later, Suzuki remains globally renowned as the ‘small car experts’ and produces over three million cars per year. Shunzo Suzuki’s original strategy of the design and production of lightweight vehicles lives on with the latest platforms introduced for Ignis, Swift and Baleno. The next light new model to arrive from Suzuki will be the Swift Sport in June 2018, weighing in at just 970kg.

Kia Motors India (KMI) will make its Indian market debut at the Auto Expo 2018 in New Delhi with a new concept car exclusive to India. Kia will unveil the SP Concept at the New Delhi Motor Show on 7 February, 2018, alongside a showcase of 16 of the brand’s global models.

Inspired by Indian heritage and driven by advanced technology, the Kia SP Concept hints at the company’s plans to introduce a new SUV to the Indian market in future. Bold and stylish, the SP Concept combines sophisticated beauty, breakthrough technology, and high functionality in a small SUV form.

Alongside the world debut for the SP Concept, Kia will showcase a range of electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and other cars in its global product line up – including the exciting All-New Stinger gran turismo. Kia Motors is looking to replicate its international success in India, the world’s fastest growing car market.

Han-Woo Park, President of Kia Motors Corporation, commented: “All of us at Kia Motors are extremely proud to take our first steps into one of world’s largest automotive markets. And we are here to build more than just great cars. We aim to set a new standard in the Indian auto industry by providing consumers with world-class products and services, while engaging with and giving back to the local community.”

Hyundai Motor has unveiled its first rendering of the upcoming New Generation Santa Fe, showcasing a striking design based on its robust, stylish and voluminous composition, which reflects Hyundai’s new SUV design identity.

The exterior rendering highlights the new frontal section of the New Generation Santa Fe. Introducing a large Cascading Grille complimented by a separate headlight system featuring divided daytime running lights (DRLs) and main lamps. Combined they create a unique, futuristic look.

The side rendering showcases the vehicle’s dynamic characteristics. A simple yet sleek roof line and the side character line running from the headlights to the taillights merge to form a harmonious look and feel.

The rear section features both a confident and stable stance with unique taillights, dual mufflers, and a voluminous bumper design.

Although initial product quality of two-wheelers in India has steadily improved over the years, young vehicle owners, who account for the majority of buyers, continue to experience higher instances of initial quality problems, according to the
J.D. Power 2018 India Two-Wheeler Initial Quality StudySM (2WIQS), released today.

The study finds that younger owners—30 years and younger (58%)—experience higher levels of initial quality problems than owners who are 31 years or older (144 PP100 vs. 113 PP100, respectively). This difference (31 PP100) in problems experienced can be primarily attributed to younger buyers experiencing a higher number of manufacturing defects/ malfunctions problems in three categories measured in the study: ride and handling; fit and finish; and engine. All problems are summarized as the number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower PP100 score indicating a lower rate of problem incidence and therefore higher initial quality.

“While the industry has made significant strides in improving product quality over the years, the challenge lies in aligning vehicle design and execution with requirements from a very diverse set of customers who not only purchase differently but also have contrasting after-sales behavior,” said Kaustav Roy, Director at J.D. Power, Singapore. “With a vast young population being labelled as the driving force behind the Indian economy in years to come, OEMs that are able to better understand and incorporate the requirements of customers in this age bracket are likely to gain a competitive advantage.”

The study also measures key aspects surrounding the purchase process, and findings indicate notable differences between these two groups. While more younger buyers indicate using the internet to shop for a new two-wheeler than older buyers (19% vs. 11%, respectively), purchase reasons also differ between the two groups—19% of younger buyers say looks and styling is the main purchase reason compared with 12% of older buyers.

Following are some of the key findings of the study:

Overall two-wheeler quality influences loyalty: Owners who experience fewer problems than expected are over two times more likely to recommend their two-wheeler model to family and friends compared with those owners who experience more problems than expected (53% vs. 7%, respectively).

Initial quality improves in both scooter and motorcycle segments: Overall initial quality averages 121 PP100 for scooters and 136 PP100 for motorcycles, an improvement of 8 PP100 and 14 PP100, respectively, from last year. Among vehicle systems, the greatest year-over-year improvement is in the brake category.

Salesperson explanations during vehicle delivery influences problem instances: More than three-fourths (77%) of owners were advised by the salesperson about the vehicle do’s and don’ts during vehicle delivery. These owners experienced significantly fewer instances of initial quality problems than those who were not advised of the same (101 PP100 vs. 229 PP100, respectively).

First-time buyers cite fewer initial quality problems: More than three-fourths (82%) of two-wheeler owners are first-time buyers, and they cite fewer problems than those with previous ownership experience (121 PP100 vs. 175 PP100, respectively). The difference is largely influenced by problems experienced in the engine category.

Award recipient segments include scooters (executive) and motorcycles (economy, executive, upper executive and premium).

In the scooter segment, Honda Activa 125 (90 PP100) ranks highest among executive models.

In the motorcycle segment, Honda Dream Yuga and TVS Star City Plus (114 PP100) rank highest in a tie among economy models, and Hero Super Splendor (121 PP100) ranks highest among executive models. Suzuki Gixxer/ Gixxer SF (93 PP100) ranks highest among upper executive models, and Bajaj Avenger 220 (100 PP100) ranks highest among premium models.

The 2018 India Two-Wheeler Initial Quality Study (2WIQS) is based on evaluations from 10,102 owners who purchased a new two-wheeler vehicle between March 2017 and October 2017. The study includes 88 two-wheeler models from 10 makes. The study was fielded from September 2017 to December 2017 in 45 cities across India.

The study measures problems owners experienced with their new two-wheeler during the first two to six months of ownership. It examines 138 problem symptoms covering seven categories (listed in order of frequency of reported problems): engine; brakes; gauges and controls; fit and finish; lights/ electricals; ride and handling; and transmission.

Kia Motors challenged Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal – currently ranked number one in the world tennis rankings – to match his peak match-day heart rate during a spirited drive of the Stinger. While at the wheel, Nadal’s heart rate soared to 175 bpm – almost three times a second, and only 11 bpm short of his on-court peak.

Commenting on his drive, Rafael Nadal compared his emotions at the wheel with those he experiences during a tennis match, “The Stinger is a totally different car compared to previous Kia vehicles. You feel the emotion of driving such a powerful car. You feel the power and, when you accelerate, you perceive the energy the car has. It’s a spectacular vehicle.”

Rafael Nadal has been a brand ambassador for Kia Motors since 2004, and recently took delivery of his very own Kia Stinger. Powered by a 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, the Stinger is the fastest-accelerating and most powerful production Kia ever.

As part of its commitment to India, British carmaker MG Motor (Morris Garages) today announced the launch of its initiative to reconnect with MG classic car owners in India, which the brand believes are its true and first ambassadors.

The brand is looking forward to welcoming the passionate MG owners who have not only owned but also taken care of the classic cars from the British marquee.

The carmaker plans to welcome these owners to the India family and host them for various experiential events being planned as part of the brand’s journey in India. A significant number of MG owners have already reached out to the company from across India and are sharing their excitement about the brand’s launch.

With the presentation of the BMW Concept 8 Series, BMW already offered a close-to-series glimpse at the design of their new luxury segment sports car. The dynamic qualities of the new BMW 8 Series Coupe are now also clearly manifesting themselves. A close-to-series prototype is currently undergoing intensive testing on a high-speed proving ground in Aprilia, Italy. The tests serve in particular to optimise the vehicle’s driving dynamics on surfaces with a high friction coefficient and mark yet a further decisive stage on the way to the launch of the new BMW 8 Coupe during 2018.

The test drives are being carried out with a heavily camouflaged prototype, which nevertheless gives strong indication of the new BMW 8 Series Coupe’s typical sports car proportions. As in the case of the BMW Concept 8 Series, the dynamically stretched lines, the flat silhouette and the powerful front and rear ends give a foretaste of the fascinatingly sporty driving experience.

This impression is confirmed with each lap completed on the proving ground in Italy. With its around 4 kilometres long oval circuit, including steep bends, the area situated in the proximity of Rome offers above all the perfect conditions for high-speed and high friction coefficient tests. Moreover, the acceleration, braking and steering behaviour of the new sports car are analysed on circuits, slalom courses and different road surfaces. The highly demanding test programme facilitates the targeted harmonisation of all drive and suspension systems. The new BMW 8 Series Coupe has shown that it offers maximum agility and precision in highly dynamics situations. Likewise, the car is also able to meet the highest demands in terms of supremacy and comfort.

“The test drives under the most severe conditions show that we are right on target with our concept for the new BMW 8 Series Coupe. The vehicle dynamics values already achieved are absolutely impressive. Our customers and fans can look forward to a genuine sports car,” says Klaus Frohlich, member of the board of the BMW AG, Development and Research, who oversees the test programme in Italy.

The high vehicle dynamics potential results from an extraordinary close connection between motorsports and series production. The new BMW 8 Series Coupe is being developed parallel to and in close coordination with the BMW M8 and the BMW M8 GTE racing car. Whilst the prototype of the production model is undergoing endurance tests, the teams, which are supported by BMW Motorsport, are currently preparing in Daytona (USA) for the initial racetrack use of the BMW M8 GTE. On 27/28 January, the BMW M8 GTE will make its racing debut at the Daytona 24-hour race. In June 2018, it will then participate in the 24-hour race at Le Mans. The knowledge gained there and at numerous other racing events in the FIA WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC) in North America will directly benefit series development of the BMW 8 Series Coupe.

Likewise, the know-how gained during training and on the racetrack will advance development of the new BMW M8. In June 2017, a prototype of this new model from the BMW M GmbH was already presented during the 24-hour race on the Nurburgring. The Nordschleife of the legendary racing circuit is also the main proving ground for testing and further enhancing the new BMW M8.