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      Ducati Revives SP Moniker – Unveils 2021 Panigale V4 SP

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      2021 Ducati Panigale V4 SP
      Panigale V4 SP is the latest addition to the V4 lineup which makes it five motorcycles in the range

      It is a good time for Ducati fanboys as the latest edition of Ducati World Premiere saw the unveiling of not one but two motorcycles. Alongside Supersport 950, the Italian superbike brand also revealed the next generation of Panigale V4 SP thus reviving an iconic moniker of the brand from its yesteryears.
      SP stands for Sports Production and as described by Ducati it “is used to recognize a production bike with specific technical equipment that makes it faster on the track.” This is established by the fact that each of these V4 SP units will be individually numbered to lend an exclusive identity, however, production will not be in limited numbers.

      This moniker was last used in the 916 range of Ducati and is not going to replace Panigale V4R and both models will coexist alongside the other Panigale V4s. In fact, the homologation-spec superbike is USD 3,000 less expensive than V4S at USD 37,000.
      The V4 SP is essentially an amalgam of all Panigale V4s in the current lineup. It shares its mechanicals with Panigale S while certain design and aesthetic elements from V4R and Superleggera have been thrown in.

      Performance
      Coming to its most critical aspect- performance, Panigale V4 SP sources its power from the same 1103cc Desmosedici Stradale engine which also powers the base Panigale V4 and V4S models. This unit now complies with Euro-5 emission standards and returns an impressive output of 214 bhp at 13,000 rpm and 124 Nm of peak torque at 9000 rpm. Like the Superleggera and V4R, it gets STM EVO-SBK dry clutch which is accompanied by the customary growl from Desmosedici Stradale in the background.
      Hardware
      In terms of dynamics, it is based on the same platform as V4S and also inherits the latter’s Öhlins NIX 30 fork, TTX 36 rear shock, and electronic steering damper. Inclusion of semi-active suspension indicates that amateur riders would be more comfortable on V4 SP.

      Many components such as the lightweight 5-spoke carbon wheels, dry clutch, Brembo 330mm discs, brake calipers and master cylinders and carbon fibre winglets have been derived from Superleggera. Drop in unsprung mass in rims decreases moment of inertia for quicker handling. Also, it is helped by the fact that it is 1.4 kg lighter than V4S.
      Features
      It gets a host of electronic updates including Race A and Race B ride modes. The latter increases the torque band on lower three gear ratios to accommodate for low-grip conditions or for riders with less experience. It also gets Ducati Traction Control Evoluzione 3 (DTC Evo 3) an enhanced version of the existing traction control.

      The equipment also includes Ducati Data Analyzer+ with a GPS module. Apart from these updates, it also features the regular electronic package which comprises cornering ABS, wheelie control, engine brake control, launch control, slide control and a quick shifter.
      Panigale V4 SP is available in only a single colour scheme. The black paint with silver inserts on the tank is a tribute to ‘winter test’ colours used by Ducati’s MotoGP and WSB teams. Considering the past launches by Ducati in India, it is likely that the V4 SP will make it to India in 2021. More

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      Honda CB350 First Month Sales 1,290 Units – 42k RE Classic Sold In Oct 2020

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      Honda CB350 BigWing Dealership
      The Honda H’ness CB350 is offered in two variants – DLX and DLX Pro

      Honda Two Wheelers has officially launched their Royal Enfield Classic 350 rival, H’ness CB350 cruiser motorcycle in India. It follows in the footsteps of CB1100 EX and CB750, bearing the same CB silhouette and even though it receives some advanced features, it continues to exude the same old world charm in terms of design.
      In its first month of sales, production of the new Honda CB350 has touched 2,420 units while sales are at 1,290 units. This is nowhere close to rival Classic 350; which managed to sell almost 42,000 units in Oct 2020.
      Honda H’ness CB350 Price and Variants
      The Made-in-India Honda H’ness CB350 will appeal to the mid size motorcycle enthusiasts. Honda H’ness CB350 is offered in two variants of DLX and DLX Pro and priced at Rs.1.85 lakhs and Rs.1.90 lakhs respectively.
      Colours depend on variants with three single tones of Precious Red Metallic, Pearl Night Star Black and Matte Marshall Green Metallic for the DLX variant. The dual tone colours of Pearl Night Star Black with Spear Silver Metallic, Athletic Blue Metallic with Virtuous White and Matte Steel Black Metallic with Matte Massive Grey Metallic are reserved for the DLX Pro trim.
      Image – Abhinav Bhatt
      It gets the latest in terms of features with all LED lights at the front and rear, semi digital infotainment cluster, digital readouts on its two trip meters, odometer, gear position indicator, fuel gauge and range indicator along with average and real time fuel efficiency.
      Features on the DLX Pro also include Bluetooth connectivity with turn by turn navigation, music and calls on control along with Honda Selectable Torque Converter, a first in segment feature. The fuel tank is finished in a dual tone while the H’ness CB350 rides on wider 19 inch front and 18 inch rear tyres offering better on road stability.
      Power and Performance
      The new Honda cruiser bike receives its power via a 350cc, 4 stroke, OHC, single cylinder engine with PGM-FI technology. The engine offers 21 hp power at 5,500 rpm and 30 Nm torque at 3,000 rpm making the CB350 the torquiest motorcycle in its class.
      The engine is mated to a 5 speed gearbox and gets assist and slipper clutch. Suspension is via telescopic fork in the front and twin-shock at the rear. Braking is via 310mm front and 240mm rear disc brakes with dual channel ABS.
      Honda H’ness CB350 is on sale via the company’s Big Wing dealerships. Its competitors will include the Royal Enfield Classic 350, Meteor 350, Jawa Forty Two and Benelli Imperiale 400. More

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      Top 10 Two Wheelers Oct 2020 – Splendor Overtakes Activa With 20% Growth

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      Hero Splendor No 1
      Top 10 two wheeler wholesales grow in double digits for October 2020

      Top 10 two wheeler wholesales for October 2020 are reported as remarkably higher than a year earlier. Sales grew to 14,14,567 units, up from 12,06,437 units at 17.25 percent gain. Volume gain is at 2,08,130 units.
      Of this, the lion’s share goes to Hero Splendor, the country’s top selling motorcycle since ages. Sales is reported at 3,15,798 units, up 19.56 percent from 2,64,137 units at volume gain of 51,661 units. Sales reported accounts for 22.32 percent of total top sales.
      Honda Activa, as usual remains the top selling scooter. While that reputation is difficult to match, Honda scooter sales has in fact taken quite a beating. In fact, it’s one of 3 in the list that’s reported a decline, with Activa’s sales contraction being most steep. Sales fell to 2,39,570 units at 14.83 percent decline, down from 2,81,273 units.
      Despite losing volume of 41,703 units, market share remains formidable at 16.94 percent. Hero’s next volume turner, HF Deluxe enjoys similar market share at 2,33,061 units sold. Sales grew 25.47 percent at volume gain of 47,310 units, up from 1,85,751 units.
      Top 10 Two Wheelers Oct 2020
      Bajaj Pulsar sales growth
      Bajaj Pulsar series sales growth stood at 44.72 percent. Sales is up at 1,38,218 units from 95,509 units at volume gain of 42,709 units. Market share is at 9.77 percent. Honda CB Shine takes fifth spot at 1,18,547 units sold. sales grew 35.11 percent, up from 87,743 units at volume gain of 30,804 units. Market share stood at 8.38 percent.
      TVS XL moped continues a positive run at 80,268 units sold. Sales growth is reported at 33.39 percent, up from 60.174 units. Volume gain of 20,094 units has ensured market share of 5.67 percent. Hero Glamour sales grew at a high 91.80 percent. Wholesales are reported at 78,439 units, up from 40,896 units. Volume gain stood at 37,543 units helping it secure 5.55 percent of the pie.
      No
      Top 10 Two Wheelers
      Oct-20
      Oct-19
      1
      Hero Splendor (+20%)
      3,15,798
      2,64,137
      2
      Honda Activa (-15%)
      2,39,570
      2,81,273
      3
      Hero HF Deluxe (+25%)
      2,33,061
      1,85,751
      4
      Bajaj Pulsar (+44%)
      1,38,218
      95,509
      5
      Honda CB Shine (+35%)
      1,18,547
      87,743
      6
      TVS XL (+33%)
      80,268
      60,174
      7
      Hero Glamour (+91%)
      78,439
      40,896
      8
      Hero Passion (+64%)
      75,540
      45,928
      9
      TVS Jupiter (-1%)
      74,159
      74,560
      10
      Bajaj Platina (-13%)
      60,967
      70,466
      –
      Total (+17%)
      14,14,567
      12,06,437
      Closely contested bottom half
      Hero MotoCorp takes eight spot with Passion. Sales grew a healthy 64.47 percent up at 75,540 units from 45,928 units with volumes growing by 29,612 units. This gave the motorcycle the much needed boost to stay close at just over 5 percent share just like the previous two place holders. TVS Jupiter scooter too reported similar sales share in the top 10 list but unlike the other 5 pointers, Jupiter sales are at a slight decline. Sales fell 0.54 percent having lost 401 units in volume. Sales fell to 74,159 units from 74,560 units.
      The other big loser in the coveted list is Bajaj Platina. Sales fell 13.48 percent taking it’s share to 4.31 percent. Volume declined by 9,499 units at 60,967 units from 70,466 units a year earlier. More

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      Why Honda Civic, Subaru BRZ Are Keeping Manual Transmissions Alive

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      Honda and Subaru both unveiled vehicles this week that offer manual transmissions: the 2022 Civic prototype and the 2022 BRZ.
      While sales numbers and availability of manual transmissions are shrinking, there remains an enthusiast market that is still hungry for three pedals.
      Young drivers are also still buying vehicles with manual transmissions.
      This week both the 11th-generation Honda Civic and 2022 Subaru BRZ were unveiled to the public. Both vehicles have a history of appealing to an enthusiast market that skews toward a younger age bracket. That’s likely why Honda decided to use Twitch, a live-streaming platform for video gamers, to host a debut featuring well-known Twitch personalities. But more important than where and how these two cars are unveiled is that they both come with manual transmissions—and Honda and Subaru have no plans to change that.

      2022 Subaru BRZ Gets 228-HP NA Flat-Four

      2022 Honda Civic Will Be More Sophisticated

      Four-Cylinder Fun: 2022 BRZ vs 2020 Miata

      “For us, it’s basically an enthusiast thing, and it has become such a big part of our DNA as a company over time. I think it’s fair to say that we have a reputation for having one of the best manuals out there,” Gary Robinson, Honda assistant vice president of automobile product planning, told Car and Driver about the decision to offer a manual transmission in the upcoming Civic.
      Automakers can show us graphs with hard numbers that prove that automatic transmissions are quicker, more efficient, and less of a headache in gridlock. None of that changes the fact that many people enjoy the control and full-driving experience only allowed by depressing a clutch and shifting gears. It’s a tangible connection between the driver, the vehicle, and the road. But that hasn’t stopped the manual transmission from disappearing from both entry-level and high-end markets. The erosion is coming from both sides of the price spectrum. But vehicles like the BRZ and Civic come to the rescue.

      The State of the Manual Transmission in 2020

      Every New Car You Can Still Buy with a Stick Shift

      Outside of Porsche and the Aston Martin Vantage, finding a high-end vehicle with power coupled with a stick is nearly impossible. But if you come down in price, the options grow. Honda and Subaru’s offerings join a few others that are generally in the same price range, but also clearly marketed towars enthusiasts without have the cash to splurge on something like a Porsche 718 Cayman. Right now on the list of cars with stick-shift choices are such vehicles as the Ford Mustang, BMW 2-series, Subaru WRX, Chevy Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Fiat 124 Spider, Hyundai Veloster N, and Mazda 3. That’s a pretty great lineup of cars.
      None of these cars will have the selling power of a Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4, but they do have their fans.

      2022 Honda Civic prototype.
      Honda

      Vehicles like the BRZ and Civic appeal to a wide age range of enthusiast buyers, including age brackets that’s been derided for not knowing how to drive a manual: millennials and Gen Z. “It may be true that a lot fewer younger buyers like manual transmissions than maybe in the past, [but] there is no lack of young buyers who [do] like manual transmissions,” Robinson told C/D.
      (If you’d care to geek out over the statistics and trends, we’ve got you covered.)

      2022 Subaru BRZ.
      Subaru

      So, for stick-shift fans, this has been a good week: Two automakers solidified their dedication to manual transmissions by unveiling cars that celebrate three pedals. For the average car buyer, going automatic is a no-brainer, but if you’re not the average car buyer, you still have choices of vehicles that are more about the act of driving than getting from A to B—and are actually affordable. #SavetheManuals is alive and well, and in most cases, it’s a good value combined with fun.
      Staff editor Connor Hoffman contributed to this report.
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      Here Are the Custom Broncos and Pickups Ford Is Revealing for SEMA

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      Ford has a lineup of SUVs and trucks for the virtual SEMA aftermarket show, including a custom Bronco and Bronco Sport as well as an F-150 and s Ranger.
      The customized builds will be revealed in a virtual event on November 19 at 8 p.m. EST, and then the following day there are interactive live sessions where you can ask questions and take a closer look at the builds.
      Most of the builds emphasize off-road capability and overall versatility.
      Along with just about everything else this year, the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) aftermarket trade show didn’t go as planned—but Ford and other automakers still had customized versions of their vehicles to show. Ahead of a full virtual reveal tomorrow night, Ford has released images of customized Bronco, Bronco Sport, F-150, Ranger, and Mach-E vehicles.
      These include a custom MAD Bronco Sport Badlands, an overlanding-capable version of this small SUV; a Bronco Badlands Sasquatch 2-Door concept, which is a modular Bronco that can be converted from a weekday commuter to a formidable off-roader; an F-150 Limited Hybrid SuperCrew by BDS Suspension, an F-150 which drops the weekday tools for adventure-ready gear on the weekends; and a Ford Ranger XLT Tremor SuperCrew, a reimagined Ranger built for the trails. The Mustang Mach-E 1400, which we enjoyed a ride in earlier this year, will also be featured at the event.

      The virtual webcast will take place on November 19 at 8 p.m., and then on the following day, there are interactive live sessions where you can take a closer look at the builds and ask questions, which you can sign up for here.
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      Hero MotoCorp Records 14 L Retail Sales In 32 Days – Splendor Highest

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      New Hero Splendor Black Edition
      Hero MotoCorp reports 14-Lakh units retailed over the 32-Day Festive Period just concluded

      Hero MotoCorp has gone from strength to strength this festive season despite Covid-19 pandemic related disruptions. Only in March this year, the world shut down to keep Covid-19 at bay. This meant businesses came to a standstill with no sales activity for weeks at an end.
      The positive outcome of this planned slowdown meant usual sales were delayed and that has meant businesses have now had the opportunity to meet this pent up demand. Add to this, a robust festive season, and most manufacturer have been able to post sales growth.
      Hero MotoCorp 2020 festive season
      Hero MotoCorp being the biggest automaker in India has sold a whopping 14 lakh two-wheelers this festive season. Retail sales off-take calculated is for a 32-day festival period, starting from first day of Navratra and concluding the day after Bhai Duj.
      To put this in perspective, festive season volumes in 2020 is at 98 percent of 2019, which is almost back to normal despite these strained times. This also means on a MoM basis, the company has continued to gain market share and strengthen its top position.
      Splendor has been the best selling motorcycle this festive season
      The recent round of hyper sales was more than necessary considering the slowdown earlier, and also the fact that there’s rather little time left for the calendar year to end if the company has any hope of posting anywhere next to decent sales for the 12 month period ending in December. Sales is at 103 percent as compared to the same period in 2018.
      Sales this season has helped Hero MotoCorp reduce vehicle stock at dealerships to less than four weeks, its lowest ever post-festive inventory. Festival season retails were driven by its strong line of motorcycles including Splendor and HF Deluxe, 125cc motorcycles Glamour and Super Splendor, and the Xtreme 160R, and XPulse range in the premium segment. Glamour BSVI gained volumes in new markets. Destini and Pleasure scooters too secured double-digit growth.
      Hero MotoCorp MoM sales
      Hero MotoCorp has consolidated domestic market share since resumption of plant operations and retail sales in early May. Market share grew by more than 500 bps in October 2020. Hero owes this to robust planning and prep across the spectrum, including dealer partners. Activity has been heightened despite disruptions in the supply chain of components, plant operations and customer touch points once business restarted in may 2020.
      Hero MotoCorp has relied on strict protocols and measures to ensure safety of all stakeholder groups involved. With news revolving around rapid development of Covid-19 vaccines, the global economy could bounce back in the months to comes. Positive forecast by International Monetary Fund (IMF) projectis close to double-digit growth for Indian economy in FY’22. This could boost customer sentiments in general. More

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      Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series Sets 6:43 Nurburgring Lap Record

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      The Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series is one serious piece of kit. With a 720-hp twin-turbo V-8 under the hood and nearly as much aero as a GT3 race car, there’s no doubting its ability to dominate a road course. That’s why we weren’t too surprised to hear a rumor back in October that the car had broken the Nürburgring production-car lap record. It turns out that rumor was true.
      Mercedes-AMG confirmed today that the GT Black Series set a blisteringly quick 6:43.616 lap time around the Nürburgring Nordschleife, beating the previous production car record-holder, the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, by 1.354 seconds. The car, piloted by GT3 driver Maro Engel, was on its factory-spec Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R MO tires. Mercedes said the camber and adjustable sway bars were set to their most aggressive settings, while the manually adjustable suspension was lowered by 0.2 inch up front and 0.1 inch at the rear for maximum aerodynamic effectiveness.

      “With speeds of up to almost 168 mph in the Kesselchen section of the track and well over 186 mph on the long Döttinger Höhe straight, the AMG GT Black Series is significantly faster than my GT3 race car,” Engel said in a statement released by AMG. “It’s really impressive how much downforce the Black Series generates and how confident and reliably it can be driven, even at the absolute limit.”

      Watch Mercedes-AMG GT63 S Set Nürburgring Record

      Volkswagen Shows a Nurburgring-Tuned GTI Clubsport

      New Porsche Panamera Sets Record at Nürburgring

      It’s worth noting this 6:43 lap was recorded based on the ‘Ring’s old style of measuring lap times. The traditional track layout had cars entering and exiting the track at different places, omitting the small straight that comes after Turn 13. Under the Nürburgring’s new “official” method of recording lap times, which uses a single start/finish line and includes that small straight, the Black Series set a 6:48 lap time—still a production car record. (The Lamborghini lap record was set using the old method.)

      While the AMG’s lap is certainly impressive, it’s only a matter of time until the next generation of hybrid and EV hypercars reaches the Green Hell. Until then, though, the Black Series is your Nürburgring king.

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