New cars

“A member of a small independent group taking part in irregular fighting, typically against larger regular forces.” That’s the answer that Google provides when you type in the word Guerrilla - a search that has surely spiked in popularity now that Royal Enfield has used it to name their latest bike. It’s an apt name when you consider that this is Royal Enfield’s stab at infiltrating a segment it has never been in. And the fact that it is going to do so with smaller sales numbers than usual. RE has definitely adopted a fighting spirit with this motorcycle, with the company making fun of ‘plastic’ rivals as well as stating that too many manufacturers seem to be making clones of other products. That second dig is well earned given how blatantly Honda’s new CB350 has been ‘inspired’ by the Classic 350… Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 design and features With that sort of a tone, it’s good that the Guerrilla has its own look and identity in its segment. You won’t mistake this bike for an...

Driving in the mountains is an experience I always look forward to. This stems from a feeling that our standard expressways are much too straight, and I would like some curves for the sake of driving pleasure. When MG Motor India contacted us saying there was a drive planned to Himachal Pradesh, I, naturally, threw my hat in the ring for that at the weekly edit meet. A late night (and much delayed) flight to New Delhi saw me wake groggy on the day the drive began at the MG Motor showroom at Najafgarh Road, with large amounts of coffee keeping me coherent. However, the Hectors lined-up outside the showroom acted like something of a tonic, and I eagerly got in. Our journey would take us through Mandi and Jibhi to Narkanda, which is famous for its skiing scene, and back, and also planned was a stop at Chitkul, the last village on the Indo-Tibet route. Our seven-SUV convoy took a lot of detours to enjoy the beatific scenery. A ski destination Narkanda maybe but considering the time o...

I have a Hyundai Creta SX (O) diesel, and I feel the LED headlamps’ throw is not that great. Please suggest the bulb I should upgrade to and its wattage. C Siva Jagan, Tuticorin Autocar India says: We would recommend upgrading to a pair of 50W Osram HB3 premium LED bulbs in 6000K colour temperature. The set will cost around Rs 5,000 and is likely to offer better light intensity and illumination compared to the stock bulbs on the Creta. Also see: Punch, Brezza, Fronx, Creta drive SUV sales in May 2024 Hyundai Creta EV launch confirmed for January 2025 Hyundai Genesis GV80 design patent trademarked in India

A facelift for the MG Gloster, which has been around in India since 2020, is being readied for market launch. Ahead of its launch later this year, the Gloster facelift has been spied on test yet again, this time revealing its interior design for the first time. Gloster facelift to get larger touchscreen Likely to carry over 2.0-litre diesel engine Launch by the end of this year MG Gloster facelift: interior, exterior design On the inside, the Gloster facelift test mule packs a larger touchscreen infotainment system that is now conjoined with the instrument cluster. The drivers’ display will also likely be a fully digital TFT unit with customizable interfaces. The cabin features an all-black layout as opposed to the tan upholstery seen on the current model. The Gloster facelift will likely borrow Maxus D90 (Lingdi)'s interior. The Gloster facelift will likely be be based on the Maxus D90 (Lingdi) sold in China by MG Motor's parent group SAIC. The India-spec model coul...

Ola Electric has temporarily paused its electric car launch plans as it wants to focus on expanding its e-scooter business at the moment, Reuters reported. Sources confirm that Bhavish Aggarwal, founder of the SoftBank-backed company, has put the initiative on hold for at least two years. Reuters could not obtain a response from the company. Ola Electric car: what all is known The Ola electric car, in development for some time, was seen in a first patent image that surfaced online a year ago. It revealed a sleek sports car bodystyle, which differed significantly from earlier teasers that suggested multiple looks and body styles. A source said that Ola had held preliminary talks with several auto component suppliers and had even created a car model designed on the lines of a BMW luxury sedan at its UK studio. According to Reuters, when the homegrown EV brand revives its car project, it will focus on an affordable mass-market vehicle, moving away from its plans of launching a premi...

After having established a strong foothold in India’s long-wheelbase (LWB) sedan market, BMW is now looking at introducing LWB SUVs here. The German brand has three LWB sedans in India: the 3 Series, the 7 Series and the recently launched 5 Series, all aimed at rear passenger comfort. BMW has three LWB sedans in India currently Four BMW SUVs have LWB layouts in China X5 LWB’s wheelbase is around 200mm longer than the GLE's BMW SUV line-up in India could get LWB models On the sidelines of the 5 Series launch , Jean-Philippe Parain, the company’s senior vice president for sales regions Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, said, “SUVs still make [up] more than 50 percent of BMW’s India sales. So it’s really, really important. And we are looking at all options. We understood that long wheelbase is important for the Indian market; because of the time spent on the road, space is a key feature.” Indian customers, according to Parain, want more room in the second ...

What you see here is the all-new eighth-gen BMW 5 Series. The version for India marks a break from tradition because it’s not as much about the person sat up front as it is about the one sat at the back. And that’s because, for the first time ever, we get the 5 Series in long wheelbase format. Formerly a China-only model, the 5 Series LWB makes its right-hand drive debut in India. The aim is to beat the Mercedes-Benz E-Class at its own game. BMW 5 Series LWB: Dimensions So, how long is that wheelbase? 3105mm. For reference, that’s 130mm longer than the last-gen 5 Series’ wheelbase, 110mm longer than the standard wheelbase new-gen 5 Series that we get in India in all-electric i5 form, and 35mm longer than that of 6 Series GT that this car will also replace.   What your friendly BMW sales rep will undoubtedly draw your attention to is the fact that the 3,105mm figure makes the 5’s wheelbase longest in the segment, and crucially longer than that of the outgoing Mercedes E Class...

Nissan India will double its portfolio on August 1, 2024, with the introduction of the X-Trail SUV. To be brought in as a CBU, the Nissan X-Trail will be the Japanese brand’s flagship model in India, and be priced in the Rs 40 lakh-45 lakh (ex-showroom) region. Bookings for the model will open on July 26, for an amount of Rs 1 lakh. Read on to find answers to frequently asked questions about the upcoming India-spec Nissan X-Trail.  Does the Nissan X-Trail get the e-Power hybrid tech in India? Nissan has opted to bring the X-Trail to India without the brand’s e-Power hybrid tech. For our market, the X-Trail comes with a 1.5-litre three-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine that features variable compression, and makes 163hp and 300Nm of peak torque. The engine comes with a 12V mild-hybrid system and is mated to a shift-by-wire 8-step CVT gearbox that can also be used with paddle shifters. Is 4WD offered with the Nissan X-Trail? While the SUV is available in international markets with a...

Of all the two-wheelers sold in April-June (Q1 FY2025), motorcycles comprised the biggest chunk at 3.19 million units, registering a 17 percent year-on-year (YoY) growth. Next were scooters, with sales of 1.66 million units, up 28 percent. Mopeds recorded 16 percent growth at 1,22,715 units. The bulk of the motorcycle demand, as always, was in the commuter segment. In Q1, a total of 15,03,398 such fuel-sipping motorcycles were sold, up 12 percent YoY. The second in terms of volume is the 110-125cc executive bike segment, with 9,13,793 units, up 19.62 percent, followed by the 150-200cc segment with 3,34,207 units, up 21 percent. The two other segments that saw six-figure sales are the 125-150cc category, which grew 64 percent to 1,74,934 units, and the 250-350cc segment. But sales of 250-350cc bikes slipped 3.5 percent YoY to 1,95,129 units. Also See: Hero Splendor+ XTEC 2.0 launched at Rs 82,911 Market leader Hero MotoCorp remains in an unassailable position. It sold 1.39 million...

Tata Motors recently debuted the Curvv coupe-SUV in production-spec, but key details like the interior design and specifications remain under wraps. Our dealer sources revealed some equipment highlights, and now we have new information about of the battery specifications of the Curvv EV.  Tata Curvv to get 55kWh battery on higher-spec variants Lower variants likely to get 40.5kWh battery from Nexon LR Petrol and diesel variants to launch at a later date Tata Curvv EV battery details Like other Tata Motors EVs, the Curvv too will have two battery options: higher variants will get a 55kWh one, while lower variants are expected to use the 40.5kWh battery from the Nexon LR models. Details about the range of the new 55kWh battery are still unavailable. However, based on the 40.5kWh battery's ARAI-claimed range of 465km, the larger battery is expected to exceed 550km on a single charge. Comparatively, upcoming rivals of the Curvv EV such as the  Creta EV  and the ...

Amid a global slowdown in the uptake of EVs, Audi has revealed it will upgrade and expand its range of hybrid vehicles over the coming years. It doesn’t come as a surprise, given that the transition from combustion cars to EVs is taking much longer than initially expected. Several other auto majors, including Mercedes-Benz, BMW and BYD, have also declared such a shift in global plans for similar reasons. Audi developing new PHEV powertrains, but will stick to its EV plans, too The company’s final combustion engine model is expected to on sale in 2026 Audi is still sticking to its original timeline of having a  fully electric model line-up by 2033 , but that expansion will likely happen more gradually. Until then, the company will continue offering both combustion and electric options in each of its core segments. Take, for example, the current Q5 and Q6 e-tron. Speaking to our sister publication, Autocar UK, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said the firm’s strategy is “future-proofed...

While there are fears of slowing sales in India’s car market as the year progresses, one segment that expects no dip in demand is the luxury category, dominated by brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. For brands such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW, things have never been better as they make their way through what promises to be yet another record year. Mercedes-Benz India saw sales rise 9 percent to a record 9,262 units in the first half of 2024, while rival BMW saw a 21 percent jump. Mercedes SUVs account for 55 percent of total sales; EVs grew by 60 percent BMW is India’s first luxury carmaker to cross the 2,000 EV deliveries milestone Lexus India sales grew 14 percent in 2024 first half Mercedes India sales in 2024 first half Mercedes-Benz said it saw strong demand across its portfolio, particularly for SUVs, which constituted 55 percent of total sales. Notably, its top-end vehicles segment (cars with price tags above Rs 1.5 crore) constituted 25 percent of all cars sold ...

Following the launch of the X-Trail in India, Nissan will bring the Ariya e-SUV to India in the coming months. The Ariya SUV is the Japanese brand’s answer to the likes of the Tesla Model Y and the Volkswagen ID.4 SUVs overseas. Nissan Ariya SUV will be sold as a full import Expected to sit above the X-Trail in India line-up Shares platform with the Renault Megane e-Tech Nissan Ariya SUV: what exactly is it? The Ariya made its global debut in 2020 and has been spied testing in India last year. The SUV has stylish looks that are almost close to the concept that was shown in 2019. The Ariya sits on Renault Nissan Alliance’s CMF-EV electric vehicle architecture, which also underpins the Renault Megane e-Tech electric SUV. As far as styling goes, the Nissan Ariya features the new ‘design’ shield, and in some markets, it gets an illuminated Nissan logo. It has a distinct coupe-like design with a prominent shoulder line linking the front and rear of the car. The electric SUV sits o...

Even as the Indian two-wheeler industry registered wholesales of 4.98 million units, up 20% YoY, in April-June 2025, what comes to light is the continuing and strong contribution of the humble moped, the product at the lowest end of the two-wheeler pyramid, to overall industry numbers. TVS XL100, sales figures, details As per SIAM wholesales data for Q1 FY2025 (April-June 2024), the company dispatched 1,22,715 XL100s, up 16.58% year on year (Q1 FY2024: 105,261 units). Do the math – that’s 1,348 mopeds sold every day for the 91-day period between April and June 2024. What keeps the moped mantra ticking for TVS is the small two-wheeler’s affordability quotient, good mileage, and high level of reliability as a carrier of household goods, dairy and agricultural produce for small traders, particularly in rural India. Most of the moped demand is understood to generate from South India, Gujarat and regions of Madhya Pradesh. The XL100 is currently sold in five variants, from the base He...

The Thar 5-door will officially be called the Mahindra Thar Roxx when it goes on sale this Independence day. The 5-door SUV is among 2024’s most highly anticipated new launches and has been under development for over two years now. Despite its niche, the regular Thar 3-door has been a huge success story for Mahindra, and its 5-door version will only diversify that appeal with more practicality while still retaining its off-roading DNA. Here, we answer some of the most popular queries you may have about the upcoming Thar 5-door. When is Mahindra launching the Thar Roxx? Keeping its tradition of revealing or launching vehicles on Independence Day, Mahindra will reveal prices for the Thar Roxx on August 15 . Official bookings are expected to commence on the same day, although some dealers have been accepting pre-bookings.   Will Mahindra Thar Roxx get the 1.5-litre diesel engine? Yes, the Thar Roxx will carry over all existing engine options from the Thar 3-door. That means you...

Royal Enfield's new model, the Interceptor Bear 650, will feature the well-established air/oil-cooled, 648cc, parallel-twin engine, differentiated by its unique two-into-one exhaust system as opposed to the twin pipes found on other 650cc Royal Enfield models. Will get USD fork First 650cc bike by Royal Enfield to get two-into-one exhaust Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650, launch details The new exhaust is expected to reduce its overall weight and make it more manageable off-road. We already reported the Interceptor Bear 650’s arrival a couple of months ago and now the design patent has confirmed our lead. Adjustments to the 648cc engine, known for producing 47hp and 52.3Nm of torque in existing models, we expect the overall output to be the same with slight changes to gearing and fuel mapping. The Interceptor Bear 650 will also include a USD fork like the Shotgun 650 and Super Meteor 650, distinguishing it from the simpler telescopic unit on other 650 twins. Despite mai...