2014 Vespa S launched in India at Rs 75,424

Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. – the wholly owned Indian subsidiary of the Italian Piaggio Group announced the launch of the sporty new Vespa S in the presence of Bollywood star Imran Khan. The charismatic Imran Khan unveiled the chic new Vespa S in an all new orange and matt black colour.
The Vespa S signifies the Vespa culture and reinforces the mark made by the Italian brand in India. The introduction of the Vespa S, with its sporty style and design, strengthens Piaggio’s position in the premium scooter segment that the group has successfully created in the Indian market. Vespa S joins the earlier launched Vespa LX and VX thereby making for a strong statement on the Indian roads with their bright hues specifically designed as a symbol of aspirational lifestyle.
The Vespa S reinforces the Vespa’s Italian design and style that has endured many decades of changing lifestyles. Touted to be the sportiest and most youthful Vespa, the Vespa S’s clean, essential lines express a dynamic and lively character. It is a Vespa that makes minimalist design its distinguishing feature in order to definitively win the approval of the young enthusiasts. The square headlight and mirrors, new sporty speedometer cluster, the sculpted and contoured saddle, black alloy combination wheels are distinguishing features that make the Vespa S a cool and sporty model.
Speaking at the launch, Mr. Ravi Chopra, Chairman and Managing Director, Piaggio Vehicles Private Limited (India) said, “Piaggio is delighted to present Vespa S to the dynamic youth in India. As we move closer to our two year existence in the Indian market, we are proud to launch our third Vespa to further strengthen the premium segment we have successfully created. The Vespa S is truly a game changer. With its square design elements, it has opened up a new, non- conventional space. We understand the needs of the aspirational consumers and believe that the Vespa S will enable them to experience another notch in the Vespa lifestyle.”
The Vespa S rides on a very efficient 125cc, 3 valve engine delivering excellent performance and good mileage. The scooter is also loaded with features like disc brakes, tubeless tyres, single piece steel monocoque chassis and is available in 4 colours – matt black, Orange, red and white.

2014 Indian Auto Expo: Harley-Davidson Street 750 launched at Rs 4.1 lakh

Iconic US bike-maker Harley-Davidson has just come within kissing distance of becoming affordable. The company on Wednesday launched the entry-level Street 750 at Rs. 4.1 lakh (ex-showroom-Delhi), bookings for which will begin on March 1.

If you don’t mind waiting another year, the company is in the process of giving the finishing touches to the Street’s younger sibling, a 500-cc version, which is expected to bring the price point even lower.

Launching the Street 750 bike on the first day of Auto Expo 2014, Anoop Prakash, managing director, Harley-Davidson India, said: “We believe the new Street 750 will excite a new segment of urban riders in India and to experience the Harley-Davidson lifestyle at an accessible price.”

The Street 750 will be built at the company’s assembly facility in Bawal, Haryana and exported to select international markets.

The Street series are the company’s first new launch in 14 years. It had approached 3,000 bikers in 10 countries including some 600 from India — mainly Delhi and Mumbai — for inputs while designing the bike. “We will continue to adopt and invest in strategies that make our products and ownership experience accessible to more enthusiasts and customers in India,” Prakash said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the launch event, he said that lower price does not compromise on the quality or feel of the bike, which has a number of components sourced at lower costs from India.

Prakash refused to answer questions on whether Harley would make India a future hub for sourcing components.

However, one of the company’s 13 dealers in India said this has been one of the points they had raised to the company, and the company has promised to come back with a plan before year end.

Yamaha Alpha - A strong contentor for Honda Activa

Yamaha as expected have launched their new scooter the Yamaha Alpha at the Auto Expo 2014. The new Yamaha Alpha scooter with a price tag of Rs. 49,518 ex-showroom Delhi has some design cues taken in from the Ray scooter, especially around the central front area. At the core of things the Yamaha Alpha and the Yamaha Ray share the same platform and that includes the 113 cc four stroke CVT engine. This engine produces 8.1 Nm at 5000 RPM and 7 HP at 7,500 RPM and will have a self and kick start option. Yamaha claims that the Alpha scooter will return a mileage of 62 kmpl. Other key features include that of a big 21 litre under seat storage, long wide seat that can comfortably seat two, wide and easy to access foot board, telescopic forks and comfortable riding ergonomics. Now we will reserve out final word on this new Yamaha scooter up until we do a full fledged review of it, but on a first look opinion, it looks good, not too big and intimidating. For sure in true Yamaha style it will be a easy to handle scooter. There are 5 colour options for the Yamaha Alpha scooter – Black, Grey, White, Red and Magenta. The scooter will reach showrooms late this month or early March. Yamaha hopes to sell 2 lakh units of this new scooter by next February.

Honda Activa 125 First Look

The Activa 125 is powered by a four-stroke, 124.9cc, single-cylinder and forced air-cooled engine. Power is 0.6bhp up on its predecessor, 8.6bhp made a 1000rpm lower at 6500 revs. Peak torque is likewise higher, 1kgm at 5500rpm, and the carburetted powerhouse provides a manual choke knob located just below the handlebars. There’s a viscous type air-filter. Power is transferred to the rear wheel via a CVT system on this automatic scooter. A maintenance free (MF) battery supported electric starter is standard, with kick lever provided for added safety. The Activa 125 engine comes with roller supported rocker arm fingers for good efficiency, and given its conservative power figures, you can expect an only nominal fuel-efficiency drop over the smaller, 109cc Activa. Also look forward to a Honda typical engine that provides refined and smooth performance.

This new Activa seats riders in a comfortable, upright riding position. Keeping with its premium positioning, the upcoming Activa 125 features five-spoke alloy rims, a pair of telescopic forks as front suspension and single rear shock absorber, with engine doubling up as a stressed member of the frame. A hydraulic 190mm front disc brake is optional, while a cable actuated 130mm drum handles stopping duties at rear. Additionally, the Activa 125 comes with combined brakes. Tyres are tubeless at rear, with a larger 12 inch front wheel and 10 inch rim at rear.

Hero ready for the kill with the new Splendor

At 2014 Auto Expo Delhi Hero Motocorp has taken the covers off the all-new Splendor Pro Classic – a 100cc commuter motorcycle designed to hark back to the classic appearance of a café racer. 

Hero says this new model offers a distinct riding experience with its café racer design. To make it look like a café racer, Hero has given the Splendor Pro quite a comprehensive upgrade which includes a  new handle bar, classic round headlight and tail light, café racer cowl and added chrome bits for the rear view mirrors, front and rear fenders.

Powered by an air cooled, 4-stroke single cylinder OHC 97.2 cc engine which produces 7.7 bhp at 7,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 8.04 Nm at 4,500 rpm, matched to a 4-speed gearbox, this motorcycle is India’s first café racer.

The new handle bars, a classic round headlight and taillight, a cafe racer cowl and lots of chrome parts such as front and rear fenders, winkers, suspension cover and the round shaped wing mirrors provide Splendor Pro Classic a café racer styling on the design front.


With a ground clearance of 159 mm, the Splendor Pro Classic weighs 108 kg. Telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers at the front and a swingarm with a 5-step adjustable hydraulic shock absorber at the rear handle the suspension.

Celerio, the latest from Maruthi

The Celerio, Maruti Suzuki’s latest is set to make a revolution in the compact car segment by challenging the belief that automatic cars are not as efficient as manual transmission ones. The revolutionary Auto Shift Gear christened as the EZ Drive ensures that the car will return efficiency similar to what we get from a Manual Transmission car.

The Celerio will be made available in six variants, three in manual transmission and two in the Auto Gear Shift. MSIL claims that the new Celerio comes with a best in class efficiency of 23.1kmpl for both the Auto Shift Gear as well as the MT variant.

The base LXi variant in the MT trip will be made available at Rs 3.90 lakh  while the top of the line ZXi (optional) is priced at Rs 4.96 lakh. Auto Gear Shift will be available in the LXi and the VXi variants at Rs 4.29 lakh and Rs 4.59 lakh respectively. All prices ex-showroom Delhi.