Team Bike India

Mahindra have teased India’s automotive sector for a while now with the will they, won’t they game when it comes to the launch of the 300cc Mojo. However, they’ve finally confirmed the launch of the Mojo, and it will be during the 2014 Delhi auto Expo.

The expo, slated to be held in February will see the who’s who of the Indian and international automobile sphere in presence, and is a great platform for just such a launch. The timing of the launch is significant, as it comes off the back of a particularly successful year for Mahindra, who chalked up an astounding 155% growth in sales, leaving their previous year’s figures far behind. As of October 2013, Mahindra had sold 29,696 units in total, with 28,604 of them being sold in India.

The leader of the Mahindra pack, and the bike that has had a huge say in its drastic growth figures is undoubtedly the Centuro, and Mahindra appear to be making an attempt at striking while the iron is hot and will be hoping that the current, popular status of the Centuro is transferred to the Mojo as well. It is being reported that the single cylinder 300cc bike will be priced at an amazing Rs.1.5 lakh only, which will throw the cat among the pigeons when it comes to the 200cc and above segment. Expect the bike to take on the likes of the upcoming Honda CBR 300R, the KTM Duke 200 and even the CBR 250R when it finally does enter the fray.

Story: Harket Suchde

The upcoming Tokyo Motor Show will flag off on the 20th of November, and judging by the concepts that are already confirmed as part of the line up there, this, the 43rd edition of the show is all set to be an absolutely cracker for the automobile enthusiast!

Amid all the hoopla, one of the most eagerly anticipated unveils will definitely be the new Suzuki concept, and with good reason too. This concept, christened ‘Recursion’ will be driven by a 588cc turbocharged engine. This is intriguing, because even though turbo-charging bike engines has been attempted in the past, the effect has been far from ideal, and the few such bikes that have actually gone into mass production have quickly fallen by the wayside. Suzuki claim however, that they’ve cracked the code, and got this new turbocharged engine performing at optimal levels.

The Recursion gets its power from a water-cooled two cylinder 588cc mill with intercooler turbo, and it reportedly produces 100 PS at 8000 rpm, and a 100 Nm of torque at 4500 rpm. This bike is expected to marry the power of a superbike with the economy of a turbocharged engine, and usher in a new era of 2-wheeler engine technology if it does actually live up to the billing. More information wil lbe forthcoming after its unveil next month, so watch this space.

Story: Harket Suchde

Images Courtesy: Suzuki

The scooter market in India is big, vibrant and quite diversified. It isn’t just one generic scooter market, but sector with many nuances, and designs specific to certain demographics based largely on age and sex. There’s also a unisex, one size-fits all, mid engine family scooter segment, and after the success of the highly focused Ray and Ray-Z, Yamaha want a piece of this pie too.

Yamaha’s MD, Asano Masaki was reported as saying just that. He mentioned that company intended to capitalise on the success of the Ray, and use it as a platform to catapult it’s new family scooter into the fray. While being as yet unconfirmed, it is being widely speculated that this new scooter could announce itself at the upcoming Delhi Auto Expo in 2014, and is expected to go head-to-head against established segment leaders such as the Honda Activa, Mahindra Duro, Suzuki Access and TVS Wego among others.

Whether or not this new model can propel Yamaha into the big leagues of India’s scooter market only the future will tell. One thing is for sure though, Yamaha will come out all guns blazing in an effort to spread their influence in the scooter market – a market in which their presence is still at a fairly nascent stage.

Story: Harket Suchde