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      2021 KTM Duke 125 Arrives At Dealer Showroom – Price Rs 6k More

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      2021 KTM Duke 125
      KTM India has updated their best selling and most affordable motorcycle – With new features, and colours

      Launched in 2018, KTM 125 Duke has emerged as one of the bestselling products in KTM’s India portfolio. While it’s already a head turner on the streets, users can get ready for some more fun, as 2021 KTM 125 Duke has now arrived at dealer showrooms in India.
      Along with some new features it also gets new colours. Bookings are already open for the updated bike, which indicates that launch could take place by December end. Hat tip to MRD Vlogs for sharing the images.
      2021 KTM Duke 125
      What’s new in 2021 KTM 125 Duke
      2021 KTM 125 Duke will be based on the company’s new design language, which has already been implemented on KTM 200 Duke. In terms of design, 2021 KTM 125 Duke looks almost identical to its bigger sibling.
      The changes are evident in the design of headlight, which is sharper in comparison to the current model. Design updates are also evident across other components such as fuel tank, tank extensions and tail section. 2021 125 Duke will also be getting the same LCD screen as that of 200 Duke. Take a look at the detailed walkaround video below.
      [embedded content]
      Another key update will be the addition of new colour options. These are expected to be revealed in the coming days. Overall, 2021 KTM 125 Duke is a lot sharper and aggressive in comparison to the existing model. With the updated styling, the bike will become an even more attractive option for youngsters, its primary target audience.
      Functional updates in 2021 KTM 125 Duke
      Along with the refreshed design, updated 125 Duke will be upgrading its chassis as well. This will come from 200 Duke that utilizes a steel trellis frame integrated with a bolt-on sub frame. 2021 KTM 125 Duke will have a larger fuel tank capable of carrying 13.4 litres of fuel. That means lesser stops at the fuel station.

      The current model’s fuel tank capacity is around 11 litres, which allows an uninterrupted run of approximately 300 km. With 2.5 litres more fuel, updated KTM 125 Duke will be able to do around 400 km on a full tank. With the new chassis and other design updates, 2021 KTM 125 Duke could become heavier by around 7-10 kg. Something similar was witnessed when 200 Duke was updated earlier this year.
      Most other equipment and mechanical parts are expected to be the same as earlier. The 124.71 cc, liquid cooled engine is capable of generating 15 hp of max power and 12 Nm of max torque. This is mated to a 6-speed gearbox.

      Suspension system comprises 43 mm WP upside down forks at the front and WP monoshock unit at the rear. Braking duties are performed by 300 mm front disc brakes and 230 mm rear disc. In the Indian market, 125 Duke is offered with single channel ABS as standard. 2021 KTM 125 Duke is set to become costlier by around Rs 6k. The current model is available at a starting price of Rs 1.42 lakh. More

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      Ola Electric Scooter Plant Will Be Largest In The World – Hires New Manufacturing Head

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      Etergo electric scooter image for reference
      Pinheiro will be in-charge as Ola builds a world class manufacturing facility for its electric scooters

      Ola Electric has confirmed that it will be building the world’s largest electric scooter factory in India. It may be recalled that in May 2020, Ola Electric acquired Etergo, an Amsterdam based electric company, with plans to launch its range of electric scooters in India sometime in 2021.
      Ola announced Jose Pinheiro as Head of Global Manufacturing and Operations for its Electric Business. Pinheiro is a manufacturing veteran with 45+ years of leadership experience, having held the position of Vice President Manufacturing at General Motors Latin America in Sao Paulo. In this new role with Ola Electric, Pinheiro will be in-charge of setting up the world class manufacturing unit with the world’s largest scooter factory which will spread its reach to multiple facilities across the country.
      Through his career, Pinheiro has managed 16 General Motors’ industrial complexes, across 9 countries, 2 continents and 5 languages. He held portfolios across Body Shop Process Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Plant Operations and Director of Manufacturing and finally as Vice President of Manufacturing for the region.
      Bhavish Aggarwal, Chairman and Group CEO, Ola is excited about Pinheiro joining the company’s leadership team and looks forward to working together to set up world class manufacturing facilities in a step towards sustainable mobility.
      Etergo electric scooter image for reference
      Ola Electric Scooter
      Ola Electric, the EV arm of the ride hailing company has stated that the new e-scooter will be launched across India and in some countries across Europe in 2021. It will be priced on par with the current range of petrol powered scooters in the country and the company seeks to tap into the 20 million unit two wheeler market in India.
      Etergo, founded in 2014, has developed an all electric scooter ‘AppScooter’ that uses swappable high energy batteries. It is powered by a 3 kW brushless AC motor. Peak performance is rated at 6 kW and 50 Nm allowing the scooter to accelerate from 0 to 45 km/h in 3.9 seconds. Once launched, the AppScooter will take on the likes of Ather 450X, Bajaj Chetak and TVS iQube Electric.
      Based on this, Ola seeks to amass sales of a million e-scooters in the first year of launch and will pitch against players such as Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp’s Ather Energy and Hero Electric that currently offer a range of electric scooters in the country.
      The initial back of e-scooters will come in from the manufacturing facility in the Netherlands while Ola Electric is in talks with various state governments to set up the facility in India and participate in the Government of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat Vision. More

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      2021 Royal Enfield Classic 350 To Borrow Meteor Features – Lower Vibrations

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      Image – Bullet Guru
      From the spy images of the new-gen Classic 350 seen, Royal Enfiled is not expected to make massive changes to the retro motorcycle’s design

      Royal Enfield has big plans for future. The bikemaker had earlier last month revealed its plan to introduce 28 new bikes in the next seven years, i.e., a new bike every quarter of a year. This started with the launch of its new cruiser Meteor 350 a month ago which replaced the outgoing Thunderbird 350 and 350X from the company’s lineup.
      Going by Royal Enfield’s plans, it seems the next bike is scheduled to be launched in the next couple of months which means early 2021. If we were to guess, the brand’s next big-ticket launch is expected to be the new generation model of Classic 350.
      Undoubtedly, Classic 350 has been the most popular motorcycle from the Chennai-based manufacturer ever since it was launched more than a decade back. It has been known for a while that Royal Enfield has been developing a new generation model of the retro-styled motorcycle. Testing prototypes of the same have also been spotted on a couple of occasions in recent past. Readers have been very inquisitive about this new avatar.
      New Underpinnings
      Expectedly, this new bike is likely to share much of its elements with RE’s new Meteor 350. For starters, it is going to be based on the same J platform as the cruiser. It will now be underpinned by a double-cradle chassis as opposed to current model’s single downtube frame. Although, Royal Enfield is not expected to divert too much from the current Classic’s design language since it is still very well received by consumers.
      New Gen Classic 350 On Test
      New Powertrain, Transmission
      However, the biggest update will be the new 349cc single-cylinder air-cooler long-stroke engine which produces 1 bhp more and 1 Nm less than the current 346cc UCE unit. This unit produces 20.2 bhp and 27 Nm of peak torque.
      It will also be paired with a new 5-speed gearbox and clutch with less moving components in order to reduce friction. These mechanical changes will result in reduced vibrations and improved ride quality.
      More Features on offer
      It is also expected to borrow some of Meteor’s features, the most notable being the Tripper Navigation system which provides turn-by-turn navigation to the rider connected via the Royal Enfield App on a smartphone. Also, a modern part-digital part-analog instrument cluster is also expected to be offered.
      If all these components from Meteor 350 are indeed carried over to new-gen Classic 350 it would surely be a much promising option to consider with many new rivals like Honda H’Ness CB350 in the foray. Prices are expected to move slightly northwards considering the updates incorporated. More

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      Former Porsche 919 Engineer Is Helping VW Build a Tesla-Beating EV

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      Former Porsche race car engineer who worked more recently with the Apple self-driving group, is heading up the VW Group’s Project Artemis.
      Alexander Hitzinger and Project Artemis are tasked with taking on Tesla.
      The group will reportedly build an electric SUV from the ground up that is set to be produced in 2024.
      Alexander Hitzinger helped develop the hybrid Porsche 919 race car that dominated Le Mans in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and then headed to Apple to help it work on its self-driving-car ambitions. Back with the VW Group, he and the Project Artemis team are going to build a new electric vehicle, and Reuters reports that the team’s goal is to take on Tesla.

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      The premium vehicle Hitzinger and the team are working on is set to go into production in 2024 and will take the form of Audi, Bentley, and Porsche EVs based on the group’s PPE (Premium Platform Electric) underpinnings.
      Audi, which is tasked with leading research and development, including the PPE EV platform and autonomous-driving technology, will also take the lead in this effort. Those are areas where Tesla leads because of its practice of working in-house. Tesla has a history of developing and fine-tuning its own components from the software that runs the vehicles to the motors and battery pack. This control has allowed it to continue to push its range beyond EV offerings from traditional automakers. It seems that Hitzinger wants to do the same thing at Volkswagen. “At Porsche, I always thought of a vehicle as a comprehensive system. This is a very important point. It is what Tesla does well,” Hitzinger told Reuters.
      The Project Artemis name came up in an earlier report by German publication Handelsblatt, which said the high-end electric vehicle Audi and the VW Group is working on is code-named Landjet. It’s unknown if this truly is the internal name of the upcoming vehicle. Besides, it’s very unlikely that the automaker would comment on the report at this early stage.
      Of course, it’s not just electrification that sets Tesla apart. Its Autopilot system is an integral part of the vehicles—not to mention a source of additional income, with Tesla owners paying upward of $10,000 for the yet-to-be-released Full Self-Driving feature that CEO Elon Musk says will bring actual autonomous driving to Tesla’s vehicles. That system would also power a fleet of robo taxis that Tesla is expected to put on the roads once it perfects the autonomous-driving setup.
      Back in January, Hitzinger announced that VW Autonomy would show off autonomous buses at the World Cup in 2022 as part of a pilot program. It is also aiming for 2025 to have a Level 4 autonomous system (a vehicle with controls for drivers, but able to drive itself in most situations without the need for a human to pay attention or take over). This would be used first for robotaxis and cargo delivery, then likely in the I.D. Buzz Microbus due to its size.
      Volkswagen may be investing heavily in electrification with its MEB and PPE platforms, but an EV that also drives itself and is highly efficient thanks to Hitzinger’s experience would help VW take on Tesla not just in this one vehicle but in technology generally.

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      Lego Jeep Wrangler Ready to Tackle the Stay-at-Home Trail

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      A yellow two-door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Lego Technic model is going to be on sale soon.
      The 665-piece model has an articulating suspension, fold-down rear seats, and a working winch.
      It’ll cost $49.99 when it goes on sale January 1, 2021.
      Lego Technic is adding a two-door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon model to its automotive offerings, which include the Lamborghini Sián and Dominic Toretto’s Dodge Charger from Fast and Furious. The 665-piece set of the yellow off-roader has beefy off-road tires —including a rear-mounted spare (it’s a Jeep, after all)—so you can get through the thickest carpet, gnarliest Cheez-It crumbs, and deepest spilled milk.

      Lego

      That’s not all. It has a button-operated front steering system and an articulating front suspension to help you traverse scattered toys, dog bones, and TV remotes, and if you find yourself stuck in stray undergarments, you’re in luck, because there’s a working winch mounted to the front bumper. Up front, there’s the classic seven-slot Jeep grille and a “Rubicon” sticker for the hood.

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      The 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, which now has a 470-hp V-8-powered 392 variant, is the ultimate, off-road-equipped Wrangler in Jeep’s lineup. It comes standard with live axles, a two-speed transfer case, locking diffs on both axles, and an electronic front anti-roll-bar disconnect.
      The Lego Technic Jeep Wrangler will go on sale on January 1 for $49.99 on Lego’s website and at other authorized retailers.
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      USPS Not Ready to Part with Deteriorating Grumman LLV Postal Trucks

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      The Postal Service has again delayed the awarding of a contract for the replacement for its Grumman LLV.
      The USPS has been looking for a company to award a more than $6 billion contract to since 2015.
      The Grumman LLVs still in operation cost around $3000 a year to keep running.
      The U.S. Postal Service has been searching for a replacement for its legendary, if deteriorating, Grumman Long Life Vehicles for over half a decade now. The decision of which company would be awarded the contract to replace those trucks was slated to happen at the end of this year, but as is the modus operandi of 2020, those plans changed. That contract will be announced early next year, the USPS has announced.

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      Here’s a USPS Truck Replacement Prototype

      It’s not the first time the awarding of the contract has been delayed, and now, according to Trucks.com, there are only three remaining companies bidding for the contract to replace the USPS trucks. Those include Workhorse, an Ohio-based startup which is the only company offering an all-electric option; Karsan, a Turkey-based company with a plug-in hybrid design for the truck, and Oshkosh, which is based in Wisconsin and has offered an internal-combustion-engined vehicle.
      “Amid continuing COVID-19 concerns, and in order to provide for capital investment activities and required approvals, the program schedule has been revised and a decision is now planned for (January to March 2021),” a statement from the USPS read.
      Keeping those Grummans in operation isn’t cheap for the USPS. They were intended to have 24-year life spans. But, since they were manufactured between 1987 and 1994, all have surpassed that age. A 2014 report from the USPS Office of the Inspector General found that each vehicle costs roughly $3000 to keep in service each year. Couple that with trucks that return 10 mpg, and you have vehicles that desperately need to be replaced.
      And even though the USPS can keep enough running, currently around 140,000, to deliver mail, some of the trucks are finding their way into irreparable problems. Last year, Trucks.com discovered that in the five years prior, 120 of the Grumman LLVs had lit on fire –and there’s no theory as to why it has been happening.

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