On the occasion of the 84th birth anniversary of late Shri Rahul Bajaj, Chetak Technology Ltd inaugurated their newly built manufacturing facility at Akurdi, Maharashtra which is dedicated to manufacturing electric two-wheelers only.

For Bajaj, this new manufacturing facility as a stepping stone towards Chetak’s rich heritage. Because it was at Akurdi, that the iconic Chetak brand was first formulated and took shape, it was from Akurdi, that the Chetak brand went on to redefine the Indian scooter industry for generations to come.  This definitely is a homecoming for Chetak. After the fall of an iconic legacy, Chetak brand is reincarnated by Bajaj, in an EV avatar, this time.

Chetak made a comeback in 2019 as an EV after meticulous testing. Bajaj has sold more than 14,000 units of Chetak EV and is yet to fulfill over 16,000 bookings. Chetak’s new plant at Akurdi can manufacture  5,00,000 electric two-wheelers per year.

Bajaj also has plans to launch new Chetak variants in the coming months. They are making a new electric scooter as well under the Husqvarna brand, which will also be produced at this new plant that was inaugurated recently.

Sygic and SKODA AUTO Volkswagen India Private Limited (SAVWIPL) have made agreements to integrate the Sygic GPS Navigation in SAVWIPL’s INDIA 2.0 cars and in future models until 2029. The first models with Sygic on board are SKODA KUSHAQ and SLAVIA as well as Volkswagen Taigun and Virtus.

Sygic is a leading car navigation app which is available on the Faurecia Aptoide Automotive App Store that provides carmakers and their customers a secure, connected, and upgradeable app store. The Faurecia Aptoide ecosystem already provides 200+ apps. Multiple OEMs have chosen as their app store solution.

Faurecia’s solution also powers VW Group’s MIB Regio infotainment platform. Thanks to this partnership, drivers will find Sygic GPS Navigation built-in and ready to go in all-new made-for-India SKODA and Volkswagen cars produced in India from 2021 to 2029.

The navigation works offline, and the user does not need a data connection to navigate. On the other hand, owners do not need a professional car service for regular app and map updates. Rather, they can update their navigation over the air by pairing it with their mobile device serving as a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Reportedly, industry executives and experts expect that the sale of cars, utility vehicles, and vans will be more than 1.8 million in the first six months of calendar year 2022, riding on strong demand for personally-owned vehicles continuing to be strong due to the pandemic.

Automakers have orders for 750,000-800-000 units, which is the main reason they are hopeful about the second half of the year as well.

In the Jan-Mar quarter automakers have sold 920,661 units and the industry is expecting to sell more than 90,000 units each in the two consecutive quarters.

In 2018, the sales had reached 1.7 million units in the first half of the calendar year.

On Wednesday, Mahindra Electric Mobility announced the launch of the new Alfa CNG Passenger and Cargo variants. The new vehicle comes based on the much popular Alfa series of three-wheelers by Mahindra and is priced from *2.57 lakh (ex-showroom) for the Alfa Passenger DX BS6 CNG trim, while the Alfa Load Plus variant costs 2.578 lakh (ex-showroom).

Talking about the launch, Suman Mishra, CEO of Mahindra Electric Mobility Limited said, “The launch of new Alfa CNG Cargo and Passenger makes us a full range player by offering our customers multiple options including electric, diesel, and CNG to meet their different mobility needs. With the increasing density of CNG stations in some parts of India, the Alfa Cargo and Passenger will be an excellent choice for those looking at huge savings.”

The vehicle comes with a 395 cm3, water-cooled engine which is said to deliver 23.5 Nm of torque. The company also adds that as much as 20Nm of torque is available at lower speeds for easy load carrying. It comes based on the rugged Alfa platform which features segment-best sheet metal thickness of 0.90 mm, according to the company.

The company says that now, the Alfa Cargo and Passenger can save up to 4,00,000 extra in five years on fuel expenses when compared to diesel cargo 3-wheelers. These vehicles will be made available across select regions in the country including its dealerships in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Telangana, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh; with 800+ dealer touch points across India.

Kawasaki has launched the new 2023 Z400 motorcycle in the international market. Besides the new Z400, the company has also updated the Ninja 400 sport bike which is also anticipated to arrive in India. The biggest update on the new Z400 is the use of a Euro5 or BS 6-compliant powertrain which now makes it eligible to be sold in the regions which have stricter emission norms.

The 399cc, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled motor on the 2022 Z400 which is shared with the Ninja 400 is rated to churn out 44bhp of power and 37Nm of peak torque. The engine is paired to a six speed transmission and features a slipper clutch mechanism. With the new update, the overall power output from the engine continues to remain equivalent to the previous unit, while the torque has come down by 1Nm.

Talking about the style, the bike continues to feature a similar, Z H2-inspired design sporting a single-pod headlight, while the muscular fuel tank with shrouds remain the key highlight of its physical appearance. That said, this bike also features a step up seat and a side-slung exhaust. The bike comes in two colour options Candy Lime Green with Metallic Spark Black and Pearl Robotic White with Metallic Matte Graphene Steel Gray.

Veteran actor and South Indian superstar, Kamal Haasan has gifted a brand-new Lexus ES 300h luxury sedan to film director Lokesh Kanagaraj on the success of the latest movie ‘Vikram’. The film was launched a few weeks back and has become a blockbuster just within a few weeks of launch. The multi lingual movie has been highly appreciated by a variety of audiences and has become an instant success. Lavishing appreciation for all the work, Hasan gifted the Lexus to the film director, as well as 13 TVS Apache RTR 160 bikes to the assistant directors of the film.

Kanagaraj took to the microblogging site to express his excitement about receiving a brand new Lexus. He twitted a photo of himself receiving the car on social media. In his Twitter post, he wrote – “Thank you so much Aandavarey @ikamalhaasan” – thanking Kamal for his gesture and calling him ‘Aandavarey’ which means ‘God!

The ES 300h comes out as the entry-level model from Lexus and is a strong hybrid sedan. The latest version of the model went on sale in India last year in October and is available in two trims – Exquisite and Luxury, priced at 59.50 lakh and 65.60 lakh (ex-showroom, India) respectively. Although it is not confirmed, but reports say that Hasan has gifted the higher-end trim to Kanagaraj.

Yamaha Motors has made an announcement that it has entered the country’s capital – New Delhi with two-wheeler Asset Management Services through its Indian company – Moto Business Service India (MBSI). Being a mobility solution company functioning in asset management and service, it provides services for tech startup companies focusing on shared mobility space.

The first investment comes in the form of Zypp Electric with the launch of 250 Hero Electric two wheelers in New Delhi. Zypp Electric is an established rival in the last-mile delivery segment providing services to leading E-commerce segments across logistics, groceries, food, and pharma sectors.

MBSI envisions to amplify the usage of vehicles on shared/rental platforms, thus creating more employment opportunities. “We are extremely excited to officially launch MBSI in New Delhi, by kick-starting our operations with Zypp Electric. The Indian electric vehicle mobility market is growing in line with the overall global trend and will see rapid traction and growth for shared two-wheelers and four-wheelers in the EV segment,” said Shoji Shiraishi, Managing Director, MBSI.

The company says that it aims to urge a majority of companies and delivery executives across the country to go electric. “We will onboard EV vehicles across multiple cities and generate employment avenues for the youth of India. We need to create an evolving ecosystem that can address all challenges and enable millions of businesses to adopt sustainable modes of transport. We plan to work with more environment friendly mobility companies in the future and to transform the overall shared mobility space in India by bringing our financial and strategic experience from our stakeholders,” added Shiraishi.

Electric vehicles in India, which have recorded an unprecedented growth over the last couple of years, are expected to become more affordable. As per the reports, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council may bring down tax rate on the lithium-ion battery, which is one of the most expensive components inside an electric vehicle. The Council may reduce GST on the EV batteries at par with electric vehicles which could mean a major drop in overall price of electric cars and two-wheelers in India.

According to a report published by Mint, talks have started among stakeholders at the Centre to go ahead with the plan. A meeting was held on Tuesday to discuss battery-swapping policy between members from NITI Aayog, ministries of new and renewable energy, heavy industries, and other government departments. Suggestions were moved rationalise tax and standardise EV batteries. NITI Aayog is preparing a draft policy which will be sent to the GST Council for further consideration.

Reportedly, talks have initiated among stakeholders at the Centre to go ahead with the plan. A meeting was conducted on Tuesday to discuss battery-swapping policy between members from NITI Aayog, ministries of new and renewable energy, heavy industries, and other government departments. Suggestions were made to rationalise tax and standardise EV batteries. NITI Aayog is preparing a draft policy which will be sent to the GST Council for further consideration.

The draft policy sent by NITI Aayog reads, “As per the current GST regime, tax rates on lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) are 18% and 5%, respectively. The GST Council, the decision-making body on GST provisions, may consider reducing the differential across the two tax rates. The council will take an appropriate decision in this regard at a suitable time.”

On Thursday, the BMW Group announced the launch of pre-monsoon service campaign for customers in India. All BMW and MINI vehicle owners in the country will be able to avail the benefits of the pre monsoon service campaign at the company’s dealer network. The company also said that the newly launched service initiative will make sure of  complete car readiness for the rainy season this year.

The new service camp also focuses on providing relevant information and tips on effective vehicle management, on-time maintenance as well as an overall understanding of BMW and MINI vehicles. As part of the camp, the customers can avail of a comprehensive vehicle check to ensure that the vehicle is in top condition. The company also adds that all the service, including technical tests, is performed by certified experts.

Customers can pre-book the appointments for this service camp with their respective BMW workshops. Apart from this, the customers will also be able to check and update their details to receive special promotions and offers from dealers.

The new camp has been made available specifically in the cities which are prone to heavy rainfall and flooding. As part of the campaign, ordering spare parts will be prioritised for quick turn-around time ahead of the monsoon. The company also promises to provide ‘prompt support’ by a task force of certified technicians and service advisors which will be deployed at various service points to bring flood affected vehicles back on the road.

The company has also requested its customers to drive carefully during heavy rains and around waterlogged areas.