MG Motors India and Jio collaborate for Connected Car Solutions to the SUV market in India

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August 3, 2021

MG Motors India and Jio collaborate for Connected Car Solutions to the SUV market in India. This would help the brand with establishing its position as an auto-tech pioneer, MG Motor India will provide seamless integration of IT systems enabled by Jio’s IoT solution in its upcoming mid-size SUV. The association will enable robust new-age mobility solutions, underlining the brand to build futuristic mobility applications.

Also read, Limited Edition Bentley Flying Spur revealed

Talking about the partnership, Rajeev Chaba, President & Managing Director, MG Motor India said, “Technology and innovation are leading the connected car space in the automobile industry. The current trend focuses increasingly on software-driven devices and our current partnership with a tech-innovator like Jio in the IoT space is a step towards establishing MG Motor as a tech leader in the automobile industry. This partnership will ensure our next mid-sized connected SUV further simplifies the driving experience and ensures safety backed by technology.”

Customers of MG’s upcoming mid-size SUV will benefit from Jio’s widespread internet outreach, along with the highest quality connectivity, not only in metros but also in small towns and rural areas. It will enable users to access trending infotainment and real-time telematics on the go as it brings the benefits of digital life to a vehicle and to people on the move.

Furthermore, MG Motor has focused on auto-tech innovation since the beginning of its operations in India. The carmaker introduced many firsts to the Indian automobile industry and raised consumer demand for internet/connected cars, autonomous level one ADAS technologies, and electric cars.
The brand has also launched the Gloster with Level 1 Autonomous features, including Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), and other advanced features.

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Limited Edition Bentley Flying Spur revealed

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Madhav Banka

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August 2, 2021

Limited Edition Bentley Flying Spur revealed. This new limited edition includes a number of special features developed from the EXP 100 concept car designed to showcase the brand’s commitment to new sustainable materials.

Also read, Jaguar F-TYPE R-Dynamic Black now available in India

Starting off with the exterior features, there are the new 21-inch wheels, bumpers, light surrounds and side chrome elements finished in a new Pale Brodgar colour, with a recommended set of six colours to choose from. There is also the newer LED puddle lights and Bentley’s rotating console display.

Bentley has confirmed that this limited edition would be around 300 units, and will effectively serve as the launch version of the new model.

Coming to the insides, there are multiple changes that can be found. The materials include are made from British wool, which has been switched into a bespoke yarn for Bentley. It is the first production use of the fabric in a vehicle and showcases efforts the firm is making to use sustainable wool more widely. The interior will be offered in a special new hide called Autumn, with a choice of five designs. Also, there is even an option to hide in the Odyssean Edition is part of the firm’s efforts to prove it can be sustainable and ethically sourced.

As for the powertrain, it features a 2.9-litre, twin-turbocharged petrol V6 that comes paired to a 136hp electric motor for a total output of 543hp and 750Nm. The brand also claims that the car can go from the 0-100kph time of 4.1sec and a top speed of 285kph. The Flying Spur PHEV is also capable of an EV-only range of around 40km.

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Kia India crosses one lakh sales figure in CY2021 and sells 15,016 units in July

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Madhav Banka

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August 2, 2021

Kia India crosses one lakh sales figure in CY2021 and sells 15,016 units in July. The brand has recorded sales of 15016 units in July 2021 and even registered over 76% Y-o-Y growth, as against the industry Y-o-Y growth of 49%. Kia has shared that Sonet has been emerged as the highest contributor to KIN’s July sales with 7,675 units, followed by Seltos and Carnival with 6,983 and 358 units, respectively.

Also read, Benelli launches 502c in India with prices starting at Rs 4.98 lakhs

Commenting on the sales performance, Mr. Tae-Jin Park, Chief Sales and Business Strategy Officer, Kia India said, “In these tough times, the relentless efforts of our teams and partners have enabled Kia India to achieve a healthy sales momentum in 2021. We are optimistic that the future will witness an uptick in demand for personal mobility with the ease in Covid-19 curbs and heightened vaccination drive across the country. We are also hopeful that the supply chain of the auto industry will be further streamlined in the upcoming weeks and we will be able to make mobility more accessible to our customers. In line with this commitment, we have recently announced a wave of finance schemes for our customers to make their Kia ownership experience seamless, hassle-free and we remain focused to provide the best customer experience with futuristic mobility services.”

Recently, the brand has also introduced attractive finance schemes for its customers, that offers multiple flexible repayment options and other convenience benefits across its entire product portfolio. The brand also says to be working with its dealer network to make them future-ready, which further helps to enable greater customer loyalty and brand engagement. They have even topped the Dealer Satisfaction Study 2021 by FADA in association with PremonAsia with 879 points, exceeding the nearest OEM by 101 points.

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Jaguar F-TYPE R-Dynamic Black is now available in India

By

Madhav Banka

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August 2, 2021

Jaguar F-TYPE R-Dynamic Black is now available in India. The carmaker has also opened the bookings for this new Dynamic Black in India. It gets an all-black theme with 20-inch five split-spoke wheels with a gloss black finish. Also, it is being offered with a choice of three paints which include Santorini Black, Eiger Grey and Firenze Red.

Also read, Benelli launches 502c in India with prices starting at Rs 4.98 lakhs

Rohit Suri, President and Managing Director at Jaguar Land Rover India, said, “With the introduction of F-TYPE R-Dynamic Black, the perfectly proportioned and extraordinarily beautiful F-TYPE is now more distinctive than ever, giving genuine sports car enthusiasts more reasons to indulge and rejoice.”

As for the powertrain, it is powered by a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine that is capable of churning out 444 bhp of power and a peak torque of 580 Nm. The SUV can sprint from zero to 100 kmph in just 4.4 seconds and comes with a top speed of 285 kmph.

The brand is also saying that on the inside, this new Jaguar F-Type will get a driver-focused ‘1+1’ cabin, and the Performance Seats will have 12-way adjustment controls too. While the seats will be offered with Windsor leather, with a choice of Ebony with Light Oyster contrast stitching. There is a Heritage-inspired monogram stitch pattern on the seats, which is seen in the door trim, are among some of the subtle changes in the F-Type R-Dynamic Black ran.

For reference, in the UK, it carries a starting price tag of £64,495 (around INR 66.7 lakh). But with import duties and other country-specific charges, we expect the price to be upwards of INR 1.5 crore.

Well with that said, do let us know your opinions on this post-Jaguar F-TYPE R-Dynamic Black is now available in India by dropping a comment down below or you can tweet to us on @automotiveblog_

Benelli launches 502c in India with prices starting at Rs 4.98 lakhs

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Madhav Banka

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August 1, 2021

Benelli launches 502c in India with prices starting at Rs 4.98 lakhs. Bookings for the cruiser had commenced earlier this month at Benelli dealerships in India, and they were even available at official Benelli website for a token amount of Rs 10,000. Reports suggest that the customer deliveries of the new 502c are scheduled to be starting in August of this year.

Also read, Sales of Skoda in India has been increased by 234% in the month of July

The Benelli 502c comes with a whole bunch of with features that include LED lighting, all-digital instrument panel, adjustable clutch, muscular tank, floating single-piece seat, double-barrel exhaust and even dual-channel ABS. It is powered with the new 502c is a 500cc, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine which develops 47.5PS of maximum power and 46Nm of peak torque, and is mated to a 6-speed transmission.

Benelli says that there are 17-inch alloy wheels shod with Pirelli Angel GT tyres and the front has dual 280mm discs, while the rear gets a single 240mm disc. It measures 2,240mm in length, 950mm in width and 1,150mm in height. The fuel tank has a capacity of 21-litres. It is available in colours including Matte Cognac Red and Glossy Black, also it gets a 3-years standard warranty.

Well with that said, do let us know your opinions on this post Benelli launches 502c in India with prices starting at Rs 4.98 lakhs by dropping a comment down below.

Sales of Skoda in India has been increased by 234% in the month of July

By

Madhav Banka

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August 1, 2021

Sales of Skoda in India has been increased by 234% in the month of July. When compared to the same period last year, the company has sold 3,080 cars in July 2021, compared to 922 cars sold in July 2020. Also, the sales in June 2021 stood at 734 units, which account for a 320% increase in July 2021 sales over June 2021. Skoda says that the increased customer engagement is also leading to rise in volumes across the complete range including SUPERB, OCTAVIA and RAPID.

Also read, Hyundai could soon unveil Stargazer MPV that would rival Maruti Suzuki Ertiga

Mr. Zac Hollis, Brand Director – ŠKODA AUTO India, said, “KUSHAQ was launched with the vision of substantially growing our volumes in India, and it is very encouraging to see our plan taking shape. Despite a challenging environment, we have managed to have a really successful launch, which is in line with our strategic focus and volume expectations. Moreover, the new launch has enabled us to build a strong momentum across the value chain. We are seeing a surge in dealership footfalls and customer enquiries. There is also a multi-fold increase in the requests for new dealerships from the dealer fraternity across India. We are pursuing an aggressive strategy of taking the ŠKODA brand to new and emerging markets across the country, with partners that share our vision of excellence and customer-centricity.”

The brand has also shared that within a month of launch, KUSHAQ has already garnered close to 6,000 bookings and has created tremendous excitement among customers across the country. While customer deliveries of the 1.0L KUSHAQ have started, the 1.5L variant will arrive in dealerships in August, followed by customer deliveries.

Well with that said, do let us know your opinions on this post Sales of Skoda in India has been increased by 234% in the month of July by dropping a comment down below.

Hyundai could soon unveil Stargazer MPV that would rival Maruti Suzuki Ertiga

By

Madhav Banka

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July 31, 2021

Hyundai could soon unveil Stargazer MPV that would rival Ertiga and it will primarily be aimed at the emerging markets that include India, Russia and some other markets. While we aren’t sure about when this new MPV could arrive in the Indian market, we expect it to come next year.

Also read, Kia inaugurates its first digital showroom in India

According to a report, this new Hyundai KS MPV will be introduced with a 1.5-litre petrol engine first. There will be a 1.5-litre diesel too, only if the model makes its way to India. Also, for the Gearbox, there would be Automatic and Manual gearboxes similar to the Creta and Alcazar can be expected on this MPV.

As for what we know about this so far, the new Hyundai Stargazer will most likely be one of the first models to roll out from the brand’s new Indonesia plant that is expected to be readied by the end of this year. The Indonesian MPV market is considered an important one by other brands including Toyota which always introduces the new generation of the Innova and Suzuki which released the current-gen Ertiga in the Indonesian domestic market first.

Multiple reports confirm that the model will have styling cues borrowed from the newer Hyundai models like the recently revealed Tucson sold overseas and also the Bayon crossover that went on sale in Europe a few months ago.

Currently, there is no confirmation from Hyundai on its derivative of this MPV however as other brands are also launching new MPVs, it would be a very good step to bring this model to India in the future to give a good competition to other MPVs.

Well with that said, do let us know your opinions on this post Hyundai could soon unveil Stargazer MPV that would rival Ertiga by dropping a comment down below.

Audi does record deliveries and registers strong profits in the first half of 2021

By

Madhav Banka

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July 31, 2021

Successful first half-year for Audi: record deliveries and strong profits

Audi does record deliveries and registers strong profits in the first half of 2021. From January to June, the company has delivered 981,681 automobiles to customers worldwide. With this, they saw a rise of 38.8 percent compared to the previous year (2020: 707,225). A total of 518,853 deliveries (2020: 354,232) also made the period from April to June the strongest quarter for sales in the company history.

Also read, Kia inaugurates its first digital showroom in India

“The positive trend at the start of the year continued in the months to June: we have brought the first half-year to a successful conclusion. Our financial performance shows that we have handled the challenges of the global shortage of semiconductors well, thanks to comprehensive counter-measures, and have been able to take advantage of the opportunities of the positive market development,” says Jürgen Rittersberger, Board Member for Finance and Legal Affairs at AUDI AG. “The high numbers of vehicles delivered, even exceeding levels before the crisis, and good profitability are a clear confirmation of the capabilities of our company and the attractiveness of our product portfolio.”

In the Chinese market, Audi reached its best-ever result in the first half with 418,749 deliveries (+38.4 percent). In the USA too, the brand has achieved its best half-year, with 121,835 vehicles delivered (+59.9 percent). Momentum was also strong in Europe, with an increase of 32.7 percent (351,588 vehicles). Especially with all-electric and plug-in hybrid automobiles, the premium manufacturer recorded a significant increase, with some 80,000 deliveries, more than twice as many as in the same period of the previous year (2020: approx. 36,000). Furthermore, SUV models and the top-range vehicles experienced high growth rates.

We have also attached a table, that would help readers have a better overview-

1st Half 2021	1st Half 2020
Deliveries, Audi brand	981,681	707,225
Revenue, Audi Group in million EUR	29,212	20,476
Operating profit, Audi Group in million EUR	3,113	-750
Operating return on sales, Audi Group in percent	10.7	-3.7
Net cash flow, Audi Group in million EUR	5,512	1,953

Deliveries to customers, Audi brand

	1st Half 2021	1st Half 2020	Change vs. 2020
World	981,681	707,225	+38.8%
Europe	351,588	265,020	+32.7%
– Germany	104,031	98,381	+5.7%
– United Kingdom	67,866	40,399	+68.0%
– France	27,961	18,539	+50.8%
– Italy	35,279	21,541	+63.8%
– Spain	20,285	16,726	+21.3%
USA	121,835	76,210	+59.9%
Mexico	5,699	3,703	+53.9%
Brazil	2,961	2,585	+14.5%
China incl. Hong Kong	418,749	302,512	+38.4%

Well with that said, do let us know your opinions on this post Audi does record deliveries and registers strong profits in first-half of 2021 by dropping a comment down below.

Kia inaugurates its first digital showroom in India

By

Madhav Banka

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July 30, 2021

Kia inaugurates its first digital showroom in India. The brand has announced that they have inaugurated their first digital showroom in Mumbai and it is located in Prabhadevi – one of the busiest hubs of Mumbai, the showroom is an effort towards digitizing the consumer experience within the select traditional 1S and 3S facilities of Kia India.

Also read, Ducati inaugurates its new dealership in Pune

Speaking about Kia India’s first digital showroom launch, Mr. Tae-Jin Park, Executive Director & CSBO, Kia India, said, “In today’s tech-savvy world, digitalisation is inevitable and businesses cannot ignore it. Since its debut in India, Kia has always prioritized digitisation in our services to enhance the customer experience- we strongly believe in leveraging the power of digital to make vehicle purchase and ownership convenient. After the successful introduction of Kia Digi-Connect, our new digital showroom in Mumbai is another move towards providing a matchless customer experience.”

The newly launched digital showroom is equipped with 3D configurators with a digital catalogue, a Heritage Wall, Digital Spec Boards and a media wall. The content displayed in the showroom is controlled directly by Kia India. Also, the newly inaugurated facility is also an effort towards minimizing the investment and operational challenges of the dealership by rightsizing the infrastructure. Kia India is planning to introduce three more showrooms based on the same concept in Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore by end of this year.

Kia India has also given some more information about the showroom, where they have told that it spreads across 606 sq. metre., the showroom will have five vehicles on display. Customers can witness the digitization from their first step in the showroom by digitized registration desk. There is also a 3D configurator zone in the facility enables the customers to customise and design their favourite Kia cars and witness their intricate details.

Well with that said, do let us know your opinions on this post Kia inaugurates its first digital showroom in India by dropping a comment down below.

Ducati inaugurates its new dealership in Pune

By

Madhav Banka

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July 30, 2021

Ducati inaugurates its new dealership in Pune. The brand has announced its new dealership and world-class service facility in Pune, with its dealer partner Legacy Motors, who have established the 3,200 square feet showroom in Pune. Ducati says that this new dealership is equipped to provide premium ownership experience to Ducati customers with latest equipment, along with a team of highly qualified
and trained service personnel to ensure excellent after-sales services. This new store is located at the
Ground level, Park Plaza, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune.

Also read, Mercedes EQG concept could debut this September

We are glad to partner with Legacy Motors to open a new Ducati dealership in Pune. Pune already has
many Ducatisti, and we look forward to seeing the community grow. The new Pune dealership is
strategically aligned to our goals in the region, and Legacy Motors has the right mix of talented
individuals who are not just passionate about the brand, but also about motorcycling and Ducati owners.
I am confident that with this new partnership, Ducati will be able to cater to the demands of the rider
fraternity in a much more refined and seamless manner.” said Bipul Chandra, Managing Director at
Ducati India.

Also, it is equipped with 3S facilities – Sales, Service & Spares and will cater to the entire range of Ducati motorcycles comprising of all the models across seven different families ranging from the Scrambler range to the Diavel 1260, the Multistrada, the potent Panigale superbikes including the new MY2021 Panigale V4, and the Streetfighter V4 too. Ducati fans can also select from the complete range of apparel and accessories of both Ducati and Scrambler brand, and also buy Ducati Approved pre-owned motorcycles at the new store.

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