Yamaha Motor Launched FZ-S And Fazer Special Edition

Ahead of the upcoming festive season, Yamaha India has launched special editions of its FZ S & Fazer motorcycles. The bikes see refreshed styling in terms of new paint finishes & body graphics. They will also be available in an all new battle green colour.

The bikes come with the same 153cc engine good for 14bhp.

Roy Kurian, vice president, sales & marketing, Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd. said, “The launch of the special edition of the FZ series is a clear illustration of how the market has responded to our motorcycles in this series. Our strategic intent is to provide customers with stylish new variants of the FZ series to match his personal style. These bikes have been instrumental in catapulting our sales to an all new level. We have kept the essence of FZ series bikes intact while altering the aesthetics to exemplify the masculine feeling these tough machines are known for. We are confident that these variants too will be an instant hit among the biking enthusiasts.”

The special editions of the FZ S & Fazer are available at Rs 74,385 & Rs 79, 485 respectively (all prices ex showroom, Delhi).

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Review And First Ride Of New Honda Dream Neo

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India has just augmented its bike line up with the addition of the Dream Neo. Part of Honda’s Dream series, the Dream Neo is the manufacturer’s first motorcycle to get HET, or Honda Eco Technology. The Dream Neo is aimed at fuel efficiency conscious customers looking for a reliable daily commuter, & will sell alongside the Dream Yuga & CB Twister in the competitive 110cc commuter bike segment.




True to a commuter bike, Honda’s Neo is conservatively styled, its angular headlamp housed in a simple bikini fairing. Instruments are likewise simple, showing the rider an analogue speedometer & fuel gauge, both of which are easily legible. Palm grips are soft & switchgear on the Neo is Honda typical, as found on several Honda commuter bikes here, these including a pass light flasher.

The Neo’s 8 litre fuel tank feels slender, & comes with a hinge less fuel filler cap. The base model Dream Neo comes with 18 inch wire spoke wheels while higher variants are available with six spoke alloy wheels, in black. The Dream Neo’s engine, frame & exhaust are also finished in black. At the rear, the Neo uses a simplistic tail light & jaded looking tubular grab handle. Overall quality & fit & finish are however up to the mark, as expected on any Honda motorcycle, & the Neo faces no issues here.

The Dream Neo shares its HET enabled, four stroke, 109cc, air cooled & single cylinder engine with the Dream Yuga. There’s a four speed gearbox, operated via a heel and toe shifter in an all up pattern. The carburetted motorcycle makes 8.25bhp of maximum power at 7500rpm. The clutch feels light, & works with good progressive feel as apt on a city commuter like this. Power delivery is step free, & the engine pulls well from low in the powerband, making this an easy motorcycle to ride in urban India.

The 105kg Dream Neo uses a single downtube tubular frame, using its engine as a stressed member. For suspension, the Neo uses telescopic front forks & a set of hydraulic rear shock absorbers, coupled with a sturdy rectangular section swingarm. The Neo seats its rider in a commuter friendly, upright & comfy riding stance & provides its rider a well thought out ergonomic triangle. Ride quality is decent, & it’s also a light & nimble handling motorcycle in city. Barring the base model Neo, other variants ride on tubeless tyres, which provided us with sufficient traction in wet & dry conditions. Honda has equipped the Dream Neo with 130mm drum brakes front & rear, with no option of a disc brake available.

The Dream Neo is available in three variants, kick start/ drum brakes/ spoke wheels for Rs 43,150, kick/ drum/ alloy for Rs 44,150 & a top of the line self/ drum/ alloy variant priced at Rs 47,240 (all prices ex showroom, Delhi).

So, priced about the same as several rivals including Hero MotoCorp’s Splendor Pro & Passion X Pro, Suzuki’s Hayate, TVS’s Star City 110 & the recently launched Mahindra Pantero & Centuro, the Neo does show promise as a well rounded bike with Honda’s proven quality.

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Hikes in Excise Duty Of Maruti SX4 , Honda Civic And Toyota Corolla

The government, in the Union Budget, had rised excise duty on SUVs with engine capacity of over 1500cc, length of more than four metres & ground clearance of 170mm or above, from 27percent to 30 percent.

In our market, cars like the Toyota Corolla Altis & Maruti SX4 also fall under these parameters & hence, suffered the excise duty rise as well.

Now, the Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC) has issued a statement of clarification saying, “It is clear that the afore cited motor vehicles (Maruti SX4, Honda Civic & Toyota Corolla Altis), which are known as Sedans, will attract the excise duty of 27 percent as applicable to large segment cars.”

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New Skoda Octavia To Unveil On August 9

Skoda India has confirmed that the new Octavia will be officially unveiled here on August 9th by Skoda’s Chairman of Board of Directors of SKODA Auto, Dr. H.C. Winfried Vahland

Built on VW’s new MQB variable platform that allows for variations in length, wheelbase & width, the new Octavia is 90mm longer & 45mm wider than the Laura. The wheelbase now stands at 2686mm, just shy of the VW Passat.

The fit & finish on the inside has also been stepped up. Seams are almost invisible, the quality of plastics is improved for the most part, & the neat & simple design of the dash is quite appealing. Boot space stands at a generous 590 litres.

The new Octavia will also come with a range of new safety features such as lane assistance, automatic braking system & also, a fatigue detection system. It will also get nine airbags. The new car will also come equipped with adaptive cruise control & an intelligent light assistant that switches automatically between low & high beams, & traffic sign recognition as well.


Though the car has a much larger footprint, prices are expected to be even more competitive than they are now (the Laura currently starts at around Rs 12.9 lakh for the 1.8 TSI). The EA888 1.8 TSI engine will be upgraded & will now make around 175bhp in India. There will also be a new automatic version that is sure to attract a whole new set of customers.

The base petrol, however, will be a 140bhp version of the 1.4 TSI, the engine seen on the VW Jetta, & is likely to be even more affordable. As earlier, there will also be two diesel versions. Both will use the same 2.0 litre TDI engine, but power outputs could be upped to 120 & 150bhp, respectively. Other engine options for the future include a 105bhp 1.6 diesel & possibly, a 200 plus bhp petrol vRS version, which could hit a top speed of 250kph. A diesel vRS is also likely to make it to Indian shores later.

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Bentley Motors Confirmed To Launch An SUV In 2016

Bentley has confirmed that it is to build an SUV. The new model line will be built in Crewe & will go on sale in 2016.

This move will create more than 1,000 jobs at Bentley’s Crewe plant.

The upcoming model, which will become the firm’s fourth model line, will be a “thoroughbred” Bentley, which will represent the brand’s hallmarks of "luxury, performance, quality & craftsmanship”. Bentley claims it will be the most powerful SUV on the market.

The announcement of a production SUV follows the Bentley EXP 9 F concept, which was shown at the 2012 Geneva motor show. It is likely to share its platform with the next generation Audi Q7 & Porsche Cayenne.

David Cameron, who was present at the announcement said, “This £800 million investment & a thousand new jobs from Bentley is fantastic news for both Crewe & for the UK as a whole. It is another important milestone in strengthening our economy.



“One sector that we know is sprinting ahead in the global race is our booming automotive industry. One vehicle rolls off a production line somewhere in the UK every 20 seconds & we have just launched the government’s Automotive Industrial Strategy to help continue this success for years to come.

“I am delighted that Bentley will be building their new vehicle here, not only creating a thousand jobs, but safeguarding many more, as well as increasing training opportunities for highly skilled apprentices.”

Volkswagen group boss, Martin Winterkorn said: “The Volkswagen Group believes in the UK as a competitive location for industrial production. Bentley fans all around the world are looking forward to the brand’s first SUV. Together we will make this new Bentley another true Bentley – powerful, exclusive & successful.”

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