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      KTM 490 Duke, Adventure Confirmed By CEO – To Be Made in India By Bajaj

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      Image for reference
      This will be the first time that Bajaj Auto will be developing a twin-cylinder engine in India

      Ever since Austrian bikemaker KTM joined its hands with Indian two-wheeler giant Bajaj Auto, Indian biking community has been treated to a plethora of new products for over a decade now. In Bajaj, KTM has found a reliable partner that manufactures and assembles the former’s bikes in India.
      The company’s majority stakes are held by PMAG. Recently, in an interaction with an automotive website, PMAG majority owner and KTM CEO Stephan Pierer confirmed that it is developing a new 490cc platform in association with Bajaj in India.
      Bajaj-KTM Partnership
      Currently Bajaj Auto develops and manufactures 125cc, 200cc, 250cc and 390cc single-cylinder units for KTM motorcycles. The last three units are also used Husqvarna twins- Svartpilen and Vitpilen. All of these motorcycles are manufactured by Bajaj at its facility in Chakan near Pune in Maharashtra. For reference, Swedish bikemaker Husqvarna is a subsidiary of KTM Industries.
      Earlier this year, we had reported that KTM was in discussions with Bajaj to develop a new 490cc parallel-twin engine that could be used for Duke and Adventure range of motorcycles. This powertrain could also power future Husqvarna models as well.
      KTM 790 ADV India launch next year
      Currently, the high displacement twin-cylinder models using 790cc and 890cc units are imported from overseas. In fact, this new engine is set to be a lot more refined and powerful than the current 390cc unit. It is likely to have a similar format and architecture as 790cc and 890cc units.
      Prospects of the new 490cc powertrain
      Pierer revealed that the company will target its consumer base who want to upgrade from its 390cc bikes such as RC390, Duke 390 and Adventure 390. He further revealed that this new platform is still under development and the first motorcycle to be based on this platform is likely to be launched in 2022. As mentioned before, this new platform will be developed and used for a streetfighter, an adventure motorcycle and a fully-faired bike.
      The report further goes on to mention that these bikes will be fully developed at Bajaj’s R&D centre in Pune and supported by KTM’s R&D. Pierer further adds that these motorcycles could also be developed in China by their partners CFMoto. The bikemaker started building its new manufacturing facility 18 months ago and is completely ready now with production to commence from 2021.
      The 490cc bikes will bridge the long gap between the 390cc and 790cc products in terms of specs, power as well as price. The performance gap between the current 390 and 790 stand at 43 bhp and 105 bhp. Going by the KTM’s thirst for manufacturing performance-oriented bikes, we can expect these new 490cc motorcycles to be class-leading in their segments.
      SOURCE More

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      Ather 450x Electric Scooter Gets Performance Improvements Via OTA Update

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      Ather electric scooter
      Ather regularly rolls out OTA updates – The latest one also delivers performance upgrade

      India’s leading electric scooter manufacturer, Ather Energy has rolled out an update for its app on Android and iOS. This update is primarily a patch that has performance improvements as well as bug fixes. This update will be applicable for 450X and 450 Plus owners. One of the fixes is that the colour and name will now be displayed correctly in the app.
      For Android users, the update is already available on Google Play Store. iPhone users may have to wait a couple of days, as the update is pending review on the App Store. Apple team will be on Christmas holidays till December 27, which has resulted in delay.
      Ather expansion plans
      In terms of numbers, Ather Energy is currently placed at third place in the list of bestselling electric scooters. It trails behind Hero Electric and Okinawa. Ather is ahead of other rivals such as Revolt, Ampere, Benling, and Pure EV. In April-Sep 2020, Ather had sold a total of 941 units. In comparison, the numbers for Hero and Okinawa were 2,629 and 1,836, respectively.
      To boost sales, Ather is currently working to expand operations across the country. In addition to Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, Ather now has presence in Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad. Other cities on the radar include New Delhi, Kolkata, Kochi, Coimbatore, Calicut and Kozhikode.
      Ather electric scooter test rides are now available in many new cities
      In phase II, Ather electric scooter will be launched in several other cities such as Jaipur, Chandigarh, Surat, Noida, Lucknow, Nasik, Indore, Bhubaneswar, Hubli, Mysore, Vijayawada, Guwahati, Nagpur and Siliguri. If things progress as planned, Ather would have expanded operations to 27 cities by end of next year.
      Ather’s new plant
      As Ather expands its footprint across the country, demand is expected to increase significantly in the future. To fulfil that, Ather has setup a new manufacturing facility at Hosur in Tamil Nadu. This plant is much bigger, spread across an area of 4 lakh square feet.
      Its estimated production capacity is 1 lakh units per annum. When this new plant becomes fully operational, Ather would have catapulted to an established two-wheeler manufacturer from its current status of an EV startup. Ather has already discontinued production at its Bengaluru facility.
      In every city where Ather has presence or will launch its electric scooter in the future, the company will be adding more charging stations. Availability of charging stations takes care of range anxiety, which is a crucial step for motivating customers to switch from standard petrol scooters to electric scooters. Ather 450X true range is 85 km on a single charge. It comes with fast charging and has ride modes of Eco, Ride, Sport and Warp. More

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      Bajaj Buys IP Rights Of American Motorcycle Brand Excelsior-Henderson

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      Excelsior-Henderson Super X. Credit – pinimg
      Bajaj has reportedly purchased the IP rights to the long defunct US-based premium motorcycle brand

      Bajaj Auto has filed a second trademark for Excelsior-Henderson with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) on December 15, 2020 under the clothing category which includes riding apparel and gears. It is to be noted that earlier in 2018, the Indian two wheeler major filed a trademark for the aforementioned brand under the motorcycle design class which covers vehicles, spare parts and service.
      Excelsior-Henderson – A brief history
      Excelsior-Henderson is an ancient two wheeler brand which ceased to exist in its original form in 1931 during the Great Depression. Its origins can be traced back to an entity which was founded in 1876 under the banner Excelsior Supply Company as a cycle and parts manufacturer.
      As it entered the new century, the Chicago based company progressed to making motorcycles, and in 1912, an Excelsior became the first motorcycle in the world to be officially timed at 100 mph (160 kmph). In the same year, Excelsior was bought by another Chicago-based cycle maker Schwinn who also bought Henderson Motorcycles in 1917 and merged the two subsidiaries.
      As the Great Depression was projected to continue for several years, Schwinn shuttered Excelsior-Henderson’s motorcycle division abruptly in 1931 despite a full order book and shifted focus on the core business of bicycles. After several decades, in 1993, Hanlon Manufacturing Company revived the Excelsior-Henderson marque with its base in Minnesota.
      Bajaj buys IP rights of Excelsior-Henderson motorcycles
      The first production model of the new era was named Super X, a homage to the company’s early 20th-century history. Production commenced in 1999 with retro classic styling. In 1999 and 2000, the company produced a total of around 1,950 units before failing to secure additional funds to keep the operations going.
      Future plans
      Though Excelsior-Henderson ceased to exist as motorcycle OEM, the company still exists and owns intellectual properties. Photo from the trademark office confirms that Bajaj Auto has purchased the IP rights to the brand.
      Given that other Indian two wheeler OEMs are attempting to revive vintage motorcycle brands as a gateway into international markets, Bajaj Auto could also be working on a similar strategy with Excelsior-Henderson. For example, TVS Motor Co recently purchased British marque Norton, and Mahindra-backed Classic Ledgends has revived Jawa and is reported to be working on bringing Yezdi back to the fore as well.
      It is too early to speculate about what the trademark filings would eventually lead to, but it would be exciting to see Bajaj set up Excelsio-Henderson as a boutique motorcycle brand with exquisite designs and limited production runs. More

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      Kawasaki India Price Hike Up To Rs 20k – Vulcan, Ninja, Versys, W800

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      Image – Anzen Kawasaki
      Kawasaki India price increase wef January 1, 2021

      Kawasaki India has announced a price revision of upto 20 grands for its motorcycles on sale in India. It’s off-roading KX and KLX range will continue to be sold at current prices in the new year. Kawasaki Z900 and Versys 1000 will be costlier by 20k. Vulcan S, Ninja and Versys 650, and Ninja 1000Sx will be costlier by 15 grands. One will have to shell out 10 grads more for Z650 and W800.
      Kawasaki India ex-sh prices – WEF 1st Jan 2021 vs old price
      Kawasaki 2020 December Discounts
      Kawasaki India has special end of the year discounts so as to bring customers to showrooms. And clear out MY20 stock. Discounts are offered on a wide range of Kawasaki bikes, including KLX 110, KLX 140, KX 100, W800, Vulcan S, Z650 and Versys 650 and valid from 1-31st December 2020. With limited stock of each model at company dealerships, buyers will be offered discounts on a first come first serve basis.
      The Kawasaki KLX110, priced at Rs. 2.99 lakhs is being offered at a discount of Rs.30,000. Kawasaki KLX140G, which carries a price tag of Rs. 4.06 lakhs is available with a discount of Rs.40,000 while the KX 100 can be had at a maximum discount of Rs.50,000. It currently retails at Rs 4,87,800.
      Discounts on the Kawasaki Vulcan S, priced at Rs. 5.94 lakhs are listed at Rs.20,000. Kawasaki W800 gets a discount of Rs.30,000 on a retail price of Rs 7,09,000. The Kawasaki 650 twins, Z650 and Versys 650 are available at a discount of upto Rs.30,000 each.
      Kawasaki India Dec 2020 Discounts
      By March 2021, Kawasaki India will launch the much awaited BS6 Ninja 300, which has been off the shelves since the BS6 norms were implemented in India back in April 2020. Ninja 300 was the best-selling bike from the brand, and its discontinuation has affected sales hugely.
      No
      Kawasaki
      New Price Jan 2021
      Old Price
      Diff
      1
      Vulcan S
      5,94,000
      5,79,000
      15,000
      2
      Z650
      6,04,000
      5,94,000
      10,000
      3
      Ninja 650
      6,39,000
      6,24,000
      15,000
      4
      Versys 650
      6,94,000
      6,79,000
      15,000
      5
      W800
      7,09,000
      6,99,000
      10,000
      6
      Z900
      8,19,000
      7,99,000
      20,000
      7
      Ninja 1000SX
      11,04,000
      10,89,000
      15,000
      8
      Versys 1000
      11,19,000
      10,99,000
      20,000
      9
      KX100
      4,87,800
      4,87,800
      0
      10
      KX250
      7,43,000
      7,43,000
      0
      11
      KX450
      7,79,000
      7,79,000
      0
      12
      KLX110
      2,99,500
      2,99,500
      0
      13
      KLX140G
      4,06,600
      4,06,600
      0
      14
      KLX450R
      8,49,000
      8,49,000
      0
      New Global Debut From Kawasaki
      Kawasaki recently unveiled the Ninja ZX-10R and ZX-10RR. Expected to arrive in India next year, 2021 Kawasaki ZX10R will be offered in two variants ABS and Non-ABS and in color options of Metallic Spark Black/Metallic Matte Carbon Gray and the Ninja KRT Edition in Lime Green/Ebony/Pearl Blizzard White.
      2021 Kawasaki Ninja ZX10RR gets a single colour option of Lime Green. Updates include an even more aerodynamic body, small LED headlamps, a 4.3 inch TFT colour screen and smartphone connectivity with Bluetooth and Rideology App. Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R and ZX-10RR promise better ergonomics with a more comfortable riding position, footpegs set 5mm higher and clip on handle bars 10mm further forward.
      No engine specifications are revealed as on date but the 998cc, liquid cooled, in-line four cylinder DOHC engine gets mated to a 6 speed gearbox and complies with Euro5/BS6 emission norms. On its outgoing counterpart, this engine makes 203 hp power and 115 Nm torque. Electronics on the new ZX-10R will also include Bosch 6 axis IMU, Kawasaki cornering management function, Kawasaki intelligent anti lock braking system, etc.
      Pricing has also not yet been detailed. However, in the US markets, the Kawasaki ZX-10R is priced at US$ 16,999 (Rs.12.17 lakhs). Expect the ZX-10R and RR to go on sale in India sometime next year. More