TVS Launches flame

TVS Motor Company on Wednesday launched the new 'TVS flame 125cc' with a Three-valve dual induction system utilizing universally accepted single spark plug ignition, in the Kerala market.

Speaking to reporters on the occasion, R Chandramouli, Senior Vice President, sales, TVS Motor Company, said "The engine of the new TVS Flame has been specially developed, patented and licensed to TVS motor company by AVL, Austria, the world leaders in internal combustion engine technology."

New TVS Flame 125^^^

The ex-show room price of the bike is Rs 46,000.

At the launch function, the keys of two bikes, which were sold, were handed over to the owners by Chandramouli.

The styling of the new TVS flame was inspired by the "delta wing" design found in the latest "fighter jets". He said this styling gives the bike a unique finish while creating superior "aerodynamics".

The bike boasts of 'several style statements including deltaedge headlamps with two position lamps,' he said.

The motorcycle conforms to future emission norms, BS-III norms to be applicable in 2010, he said.

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Bajaj alleges TVS for smear campaign

According to a Bajaj Auto release, two people employed with TVS Motors outlets in central and eastern India have been caught red handed distributing leaflets allegedly containing misleading and wrong information on Bajaj products.

Bajaj Auto alleges that due to better product initiatives taken by it, the competition have been put under 'severe pressure', driving them to completely unethical and undesirable actions.

Bajaj Auto dealers nabbed Santosh Kumar Rath and Sunil Kumar Sahu distributing leaflets stating Bajaj Auto is "phasing out the Bajaj Platina 100cc motorcycles and that the ongoing discount on the bike is a part of stock clearance sale". Rath is an employee of Krishna TVS of Puri, Orissa, a Bajaj press statement said today.

Vimal Sumbly, national sales manager, Bajaj Auto, said: "The Platina has met with a tremendous response from consumers. We have no plan of discontinuing this hugely successful product. We are monitoring these types of unethical practices by competitors very closely. We see these activities as desperate measures by them to arrest the overwhelming success of our brands."

"We will not tolerate such unethical behavior on the part of the competition and we are planning to take police action at every location to bring this to a stop", he further added.

A TVS Motors spokesperson, said "TVS is unaware of any such action. The company will not indulge in any such activities and shall investigate the matter".

Bajaj also holds the 'competition' responsible for spreading incorrect news on the company's XCD125 motorcycle last week, that the bikes were being recalled for rectification.

An FIR has been filed against Krishna TVS by the Puri dealer of Bajaj Auto. Bajaj claims that it has received information that a similar vilification campaign is being carried out in Surat, Gujarat.

Meanwhile, Bajaj claims its recently launched product � XCD125 has sold 65,000 units in the first fifty days of its launch, making it the segment's top selling bike. In September the company sold 18,000+ units of the motorcycle.

Following the positive response, the company plans to hike monthly production to 75,000 units in November � two months ahead of schedule.

Amit Nandi, general manager (marketing), Bajaj Auto, said: "Fifty per cent of XCD 125 volumes are coming from competition, a majority of them being 100cc users. XCD 125 is a compelling package that 100cc customers are finding very difficult to resist."


Source:- Business-standard

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Yamaha Motor plans to launch scooters

Yamaha Motor India (YMI), a fully-owned subsidiary of the $12-billion Japanese auto major Yamaha Motor Company, plans to foray into the fast growing automatic scooter segment.

Yamaha, which has several scooter models, ranging from 110 cc to 400 cc, is evaluating the right segment to foray into the Indian market. YMI managing director and CEO Tomotaka Ishikawa told ET, “We will enter the scooter market but are yet to finalise the segment and the products. Once we introduce our new range of bikes in early 2008, we will concentrate on the right kind of scooter for the Indian market. We plan to hit the premium segment first and target customers who prefer to go for style and power rather than use scooters for their commuting needs.”

The company is likely to introduce its automatic range of scooters with dual disc brakes and twin-shock chassis with high-powered liquid cooled engines in the premium segment. It may also hit the entry-level segment with its fuel-injected 125 cc four-stroke engine and compact-sized urban scooters. YMI has already commissioned a market survey to determine different volume generating scooter segments in India.

“We will have India-specific products, though our high-powered range in Europe and sub-150 cc Asian models could also be considered. We will bring new and better features in our scooters with comfortable suspension which will meet high safety standards,” Mr Ishikawa said.

Yamaha Majesty 400 Motoscooter

As part of its Rs 1,000-crore restructuring plan, YMI will increase its portfolio from the current three bikes it sells in the domestic market. While its high powered 150 cc to 250 cc scooters will hit the urban markets, the 100 cc to 125 cc scooters will target smaller cities and towns.

With a slew of launches in different segments, Yamaha is aiming to dent the scooter market which has remained positive despite the slump in two wheeler sales. While motorcycle sales, which forms 85% of the market, has fallen by 15%, scooters sales grew by 20% to 5.30 lakh units in the first half of this fiscal.

YMI will compete with Japanese arch-rival Honda Motorcycle & Scooter, which commands a 50% marketshare while TVS Motors and Hero Honda also sell a significant number. Recently Suzuki Motorcycles India and Kinetic Motor Company have also joined the fray by launching new scooters in the 125 cc segment while the Ludhania-based Hero Cycles has also introduced a wide range of electric scooters in technical collaboration of Ultra Motors of UK.


Source:- Economictimes.indiatimes


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TVS Unviels there new bikes

In their attempts at catching up with the industry leader, two-wheeler manufacturers Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor are putting together new teams of bikes and scooterettes with great speed. The fact that the two-wheeler market has experienced a slowdown has not deterred the second- and third-ranked manufacturers from planning new products.

Another difference between the market leader and the two manufacturers that follow is that the investment in in-house research and development that Bajaj and TVS Motor have made during the last few years has enabled them to come up with new technology platforms and features that have been successfully adopted in their new bikes.

Now, both the companies are extending their in-house technologies, such as VT-i and DTSi, to newer, more sophisticated versions that enhance the benefits from the adoption of these features. Bajaj unveiled a new version of its digital twin spark ignition in August. Called DTS-Si — referring to the extension of its twin spark ignition to also include swirl induction — the new engine technology is to be installed in Exceed, a bike that is to be launched later this month.

Bajaj unveiled the new technology, but TVS, which is emerging as a strong competitor, beat the Pune-based company into the customer’s mind-space by unveiling both the new technologies and the new bikes that will sport them.

The new bikes are not going to be available at the showrooms before October or November this year, but the auto media and through them the customers will get a sneak peek into the potential of these new products.

After witnessing the roll out of its first three-wheelers and the new bikes and scooterette that will now be manufactured at its Hosur plant, we were given exclusive, first test rides of these new two-wheelers. Here is a summary of the four new two-wheelers that will be available at TVS showrooms from November.

TVS Flame

TVS Flame 125

The most exciting new launch from TVS is likely to be the new Flame, a 125cc bike that sports a very unique new-age design and a new 3-valve engine with the company’s latest CC-VTi (controlled combustion variable timing intelligent) technology.

TVS says that the styling of the Flame is inspired by the Delta wing design found in the latest fighter jets. So, it has adopted a triangular (DeltaEdge) design theme to many of the Flame’s features.

The Flame is brand new and is likely to be a good alternative to the Victor. This bike is also the first to feature the extension of TVS’ in-house technology. Developed by the company’s R&D in collaboration with AVL of Austria, the CC-VTi technology features two different intake ports for swirl and power.

The swirl port creates a swirl motion of the intake air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber, thereby leading to a more efficient burning of lean air-fuel mixture and helping improve the bike’s fuel efficiency. In the power throttle mode, the power port opens to allow a high flow rate of the air-fuel mixture to deliver high power. The engine’s peak power is a class leading 10.5 bhp at 8,250 rpm.

StaR City 110

TVS Star City 110

The TVS StaR City has had a bit of a late start. Sales of this entry-level bike have gradually grown to reach a critical mass for the company. With new variants that address a wider range of buyers in the entry-level segment, the Star City probably only lacked a more powerful engine for those looking for a bike that focuses on fuel economy but can also deliver a decent on-road performance.

The new StaR City 110 will attempt to cater to that segment. The new StaR City features quite a few cosmetic changes, though the overall design of the bike remains the same. The bike also features a new 110cc engine that now sports TVS’ CVTi engine technology that combines swirl and tumble motion to achieve a very high in-cylinder charge leading to improved combustion. In addition, TVS has applied its VTi technology consisting of fuel cut-off on deceleration and significantly reduced friction to improve the overall fuel efficiency of this bike.

Scooty Teenz Electric

TVS has tested alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles in the past, but had not made a foray into the segment with marketable two-wheeler. The new Scooty Teenz EV is likely to be the first of a group of new alternative energy two-wheelers that the company will launch in the coming months.

Targeting the growing community of buyers that are opting for a completely electric two-wheeler, TVS is planning to launch the Scooty Teenz EV. The new Scooty is a pure EV and will only feature an electric motor — there will be no petrol engine — that has a peak power of 800 watts. The Scooty Teenz EV will be capable of touching a maximum speed of 40 kmph and will have a driving range of 50 km per charge.

It will house a normal VRLA battery that can be fully charged by plugging it into a household power socket for four hours. Extending its focus on alternate fuels, TVS is also likely to launch dual-fuel LPG and CNG powered bikes in the near future.

Apache RTR 160 F1

TVS Apache RTR 160 with Fuel-Injection

The Apache RTR 160 is still fresh in the market, but TVS has chosen to quickly come out with a fuel-injected version of this bike. The new Apache RTR 160 will feature electronic fuel injection and will enable the same bike with the same basic 160cc engine to offer an additional 0.5 bhp of peak power. It will also be capable of offering a higher top speed of 121 kmph.

The new EFI technology employs an electronic control unit that is combined with sensors, a fuel pump and a main injector. The EFI technology offers better engine smoothness and refinement, faster throttle response, lower emissions, better performance consistency under varied riding conditions and lower emissions.

Source:- Thehindubusinessline

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Bajaj`s new bike Exceed

Bajaj Auto Ltd., India's No. 2 motorbike maker, plans to make 20,000 new motor bikes in September and raise output beyond 50,000 in December or January, its managing director said on Thursday.

Bajaj, which is in preliminary talks with French car maker Renault on making "very competitive" vehicles in India, is betting a new motorbike will perk up flagging sales and bolster its higher-margin range.

Bajaj's new 125 cc bike, called Exceed, is aimed at weaning customers from its lower-margin 100 cc bikes, which compete in an extremely price-sensitive and crowded market dominated by leader Hero Honda Motors Ltd.

"We are now clearly focused on the bigger bike. We are not going to fight to retain share in 100 cc," Rajiv Bajaj told reporters at the launch of a new engine technology for the bike.

The new engine technology for the bike, called DTS-Si, is an upgrade of its DTSI technology, or digital twin spark ignition.

"More than a third of the motorbike market is 125 cc and above, where the margins are 15-20 percent. On 100 cc bikes, we don't make money," Bajaj said.

To start with, he said the company would make 20,000 units of the new bike in September at its Aurangabad plant in Maharashtra, which would be ramped up to 50,000 units.

Production would be further raised when the company starts making the new bike at its plant in Uttarakhand some time in December or January, Bajaj said.

Initially, the company would concentrate on the domestic market, but would look at exports beyond 2007/08, he said.

At 0953 GMT, shares in the company were down 1 percent at 2,286.30 rupees in a Mumbai market that was down 1.2 percent.

Bajaj, which has more than a third of India's motorbike market -- the world's biggest after China -- had cut its output by 20,000-30,000 units a month following a drop in demand due to high interest rates that led consumers to postpone purchases.

Sales of Bajaj motorbikes in the fiscal year that started in April are down 12 percent from the same period a year earlier.

It has said it expects sales to revive from September, with the new bike and purchases spurred by the festival season.

In May, Bajaj split its manufacturing and finance operations, and in July restructured its auto business, creating separate units for R&D, engineering, two-wheelers, commercial vehicles and international business.

Source:- In.reuters

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