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    The New Porsche 911 GT3 RS Has a Tiny Easter Egg

    Lots of automakers hide easter eggs throughout their cars, but Porsche generally isn’t the type to do that sort of thing. That made it all the more surprising when Andreas Preuninger, head of GT cars at Porsche, showed us a tiny easter egg on the new 911 GT3 RS.

    There’s a tiny vent just above the rear reflector, but the shape of the bodywork—which creates an air channel with a flap that sits behind the rear wheel—in combination with the reflector necessitated a piece that’s blocked off. A lot of automakers use fake vents purely for styling purposes, and Preuninger didn’t want to be accused of doing the same. “There’s this crazy people online [who say], ‘It’s not a real vent! It’s a fake vent!'” For those people, Preuninger made sure the little plastic piece was stamped with the words “no vent.”
    You’ll have to get down on the ground to actually see the “no vent” embossing, and if your eyesight’s bad, you’ll need glasses to see it. The piece is so small, one wonders if anyone would ever notice there’s something even resembling a fake vent down there. But, Porsche takes a lot of pride in the fact that its cars don’t have any exterior elements there only for style. The folks there take this stuff seriously.Not so seriously that they don’t have a little fun, though. Preuninger is a Porsche-world celebrity as much for his big personality as the quality of the cars his department creates. He’s also very proud, hence a desire to not be lumped in with the many automakers who use fake vents. Every piece on the GT3 RS has a function. Even the one that looks like it doesn’t. More

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    Honda Price Hike Aug 2022 – Activa, Dio, CB200X, Unicorn, CB350

    Honda India has hiked the prices for all of its models offered in India and CB200X got the most hike at Rs. 17,340Image – Motovin77Honda India already has a reputation for being overpriced and with the new price hike, that reputation is now amplified. We get that manufacturers have to pass on some of the incurred costs to customers. We say this because production costs and input costs have been on the rise and price hikes are evident.But of all manufacturers, when Honda does it, it feels a little overwhelming because Honda products are generally overpriced, to begin with. It seems that Honda could have absorbed the rising input costs a little more. We say this because CB200X that is not a good-seeling bike, got a ridiculous price hike of Rs. 17,340. Let’s take a look.Honda Price Hike August 2022Starting with CB200X which got a ridiculous and atrocious Rs. 17,340 at 13.32% price hike, we don’t understand why Honda did this. Because CB200X is a wannabe ADV that is just a slight extension of Hornet 2.0 with a 2V head. For around Rs. 22,000 less one can buy an XPulse 200 2V and for Rs. 11,000 less, one can buy XPulse 200 4V which are proper off-roaders that punch way above their displacements.Next highest price hike is CB350 DLX at Rs. 11,679 and CB350 at Rs. 10,679 standing at 6.26% and 5.55% increment. Next comes X-Blade, Unicorn 160 and Hornet 2.0. They get around Rs. 7,000 to 8,000 hike ranging from 5.52% on Hornet 2.0 and going till 8.32% increment on the high-capacity commuter Unicorn 160.Honda Scooters Price Hike Aug 2022Grazia premium 125cc scooter gets Rs. 6,396 price increment for both drum brake and as well as disc brake variants. Grazia 125’s price hike amounts to 7.79% to 8.55% increment than prices in July 2022. After Grazia, Dio seems to be next with Rs. 5,588 for Dio STD and Rs. 5,690 for Dio Deluxe accounting for around an 8.75% increment.  Even though Activa 6G gets the exact same powertrain, components, electricals and most things, it only gets hike of Rs. 968 for STD and Rs. 1,223 for Deluxe variants. This accounts for around 1.5% increment only while Dio incurred 8.75%. Is this because Activa is extremely popular and hiking its price too much will create a dent in sales? Maybe.Least Hike & New PricingComing to the bottom end of the price hike spectrum, we have the Activa 125 series that got Rs. 1,036 to Rs. 1,127 and accounts for 1.26% to 1.50% increment. All of the budget commuters from CD110 Dream to SP125, get around Rs. 1,070 price hike accounting to 1.26% to 1.54% increment.Honda Motorcycles Price Hike Aug 2022With the new pricing, Dio now starts from Rs. 67,817, Activa 6G from Rs. 72,400, Activa 125 from Rs. 76,025 and Grazia from Rs. 81,211. Honda’s budget commuter series now starts from Rs. 70,315 for CD110 Dream and goes till Rs. 86,486 for SP125 Disc.Unicorn 160 now crosses the 1 lakh mark at Rs. 1,03,706 while X-Blade starts at Rs. 1,15,614. Hornet 2.0 now costs Rs. 1,35,274 and CB200X Rs. 1,47,535. Honda’s Big Wing exclusive CB350 series now starts at Rs. 1,98,179. All the prices mentioned are ex-showroom, Delhi. More

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    Listen to the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT EV's Simulated Exhaust

    Dodge revealed its vision for “future muscle” on Wednesday night, giving us our first look at the Charger Daytona SRT. A radical concept with retro style and futuristic tech, there was one feature that stuck out: A simulated exhaust sound. The Daytona SRT is electric, you see, so Dodge added a fake internal-combustion exhaust note to quell EV doubters. And we’re not sure how we feel about it.During the car’s premiere, published above, Dodge started the car to let it run, even giving the crowd a few revs. The feature, called the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust, uses an amplifier near the rear of the car to produce a 126-decibel “exhaust” sound. Dodge says this sound is supposed to replicate a Hellcat’s supercharged 6.2-liter V-8. We’ll let you listen and decide whether it actually does or not. Stellantis head designer Ralph Gilles published a clip of the car’s sound to Instagram, in case you need a better video.
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    The fake exhaust noise isn’t the only radical piece of tech onboard the Charger Daytona SRT concept. There’s also what Dodge calls the eRupt transmission. It’s a multi-speed unit that allows the driver to shift themselves via an “electro-mechanical” connection. Whether that means the driver is actually shifting gears in the transmission or gear shifting is simulated electronically, we don’t know yet.
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    Yamaha Sales Breakup Jul 2022 – FZ, R15, MT15, Fascino, RayZR

    Yamaha has reported a YoY and MoM growth in July 2022 both in terms of domestic sales and exportsNew Yamaha MT15Yamaha Motor India has seen outstanding growth in terms of sales over the past month. Domestic sales increased by 13.72 percent YoY to 54,666 units from 48,071 units sold in July 2021. MoM sales also improved by 4.93 percent from 52,099 units sold in June 2022. Exports on the other hand saw a 5.45 percent YoY growth to 27,734 units in July 2022, up from 26,300 units sold in July 20921. MoM exports were higher by 6.15 percent from 26,128 units shipped in June 2022.This took total sales (domestic + exports) to 82,400 units in July 2022, up 10.80 percent from 74,371 units sold in July 2021 relating to an 8,029 unit volume growth. MoM sales improved by 5.33 percent from 78,227 units sold in June 2022 with a 4,173 unit volume growth. Earlier this month, Yamaha has announced a price hike across its motorcycle and scooter range. The price hike varies according to model and variants and ranges from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,300.Yamaha Sales July 2022Yamaha FZ topped the domestic sales list with 18,988 units sold in the past month, up 5.10 percent from 18,066 units sold in July 2021. This was a 922 unit volume growth with 34.73 percent share. FZ sales dipped on a MoM basis by 1.64 percent from 19,305 units sold in June 2022.R15 sales increased YoY by 28.56 percent and MoM by 12.35 percent to 9,359 units with share percentage increasing from 15.99 percent held in June 2022 to 17.12 percent in the past month. Sales growth was also reported for the Yamaha RayZR by 14.04 percent to 8,043 units in July 2022, up from 7,053 units sold in July 2021. MoM sales however, dipped marginally by 0.59 percent from 8,091 units sold in June 2022.Yamaha India Sales July 2022 vs July 2021 (YoY)Fascino sales fell 1.60 percent YoY but increased 18.42 percent MoM to 9,373 units while there was increased demand for the Yamaha MT15 in July 2022 to 8,380 units, up 57.64 percent from 5,316 units sold in July 2021. MoM sales also improved 7.64 percent from 7,785 units sold in June 2022. Sales de-growth was seen on YoY and MoM basis for the Yamaha FZ25 to 523 units in July 2022 down 37.06 percent from 831 units sold in July 2021. There had been 673 units sold in June 2022 leading to a 22.29 percent MoM de-growth.Yamaha India Sales and Exports July 2022Yamaha Exports July 2022Yamaha Motor India also reported outstanding sales to global markets in July 2022. Most of the models posted a YoY de-growth but exports were boosted by MT15 that grew by 7966.67 percent YoY. The list was topped by Yamaha FZ that posted an 11.75 percent YoY de-growth to 10,992 units, down from 12,455 units sold in July 2021. MoM exports improved 10.43 percent from 9,954 units sold in June 2022.YD125 saw a YoY growth of 92.11 percent to 3,750 units in July 2021 from 1,950 units sold in the same month of the previous year. MoM sales fell 16.67 percent from 4,500 units shipped in June 2022. The list also included Ray ZR with a YoY and MoM de-growth to 3,252 units. Cruz sales improved YoY and MoM to 4,792 units while there were 1,944 units of the FZ25 shipped in the past month relating to a 21.73 percent YoY de-growth but a 24.29 percent MoM improvement.Yamaha India Sales July 2022 vs Jun 2022 (MoM)Yamaha R15 exports were at 1,148 units, up 19.33 percent YoY and 32.26 percent MoM while SZ and Saluto exports dipped YoY and MoM to 1,000 units and 520 units respectively. There was also a 7966.67 percent growth seen in exports of the MT15 to 242 units from just 3 units shipped in July 2021 but a 24.84 percent MoM de-growth from 322 units shipped in June 2022. Yamaha also exported 104 units of the Fascino in the past month while exports of the Saluto RX and Alpha were at 0 units each. More

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    2020-2022 Hyundai Palisade, Kia Telluride Recalled Over Fire Risk

    Hyundai is recalling 245,030 Palisades and Kia is recalling 36,417 Tellurides—all 2020–2022 models—due to a fire risk. Both automakers are also ordering a stop-sale on affected models, according to a NHTSA consumer alert.The fire risk stems from a possible electrical short circuit caused by debris or moisture accumulating inside the tow-hitch harness module. Hyundai and Kia are still finalizing repair plans, but until the issue is resolved, owners are asked to park outside and away from buildings.Over 280,000 Hyundai Palisades and Kia Tellurides from the 2020—2022 model years are being recalled due to potentially faulty tow-hitch harnesses that can cause a fire while the SUVs are parked or driving. Hyundai and Kia today also issued a stop-sale on affected models at dealers and processing centers that haven’t been sold, per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).According to separate filings yesterday with NHTSA, Hyundai reported that about 245,030 Palisades are affected, and Kia reported that about 36,417 Tellurides are affected. Both reports indicate the fire risk stems from an electrical short circuit that can happen when debris or moisture accumulates on the printed circuit board for the tow-hitch harness module. The harness may have been installed as original equipment or as an accessory through a dealer. Hyundai confirmed details of the recall to Car and Driver, but Kia hasn’t yet responded to a request for comment.

    Kia

    Hyundai and Kia are still currently finalizing plans for the fix. In the meantime, both automakers are advising owners of affected vehicles to park outside and away from buildings until the recall is addressed. In its NHTSA report, Hyundai states that owners can continue driving their Palisades and describes plans to remove the fuse for the tow-hitch module as an extra measure of protection.So far, Hyundai hasn’t reported any fires, crashes, or injuries in the U.S. related to the recall. However, it has confirmed eight cases where melting has occurred. Likewise, Kia hasn’t reported any crashes or injuries, but it did confirm five cases of melting and one fire.Hyundai plans to notify dealers and owners on October 17, 2022. Kia plans to notify dealers about the recall on October 10, 2022, and it plans to notify owners on October 14, 2022. More

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    1300-HP Shelby Mustang GT500 Code Red Takes Limited Edition to the Limit

    Shelby American announced a limited production run of a 1300-horsepower variant of the Ford Mustang GT500, named the GT500 Code Red.Shelby will build 30 total examples of the Code Red, 10 for each of the 2020 through 2022 model years. The Code Red will not be street legal and is designed with straight-line speed in mind. Prices start at $209,995 before factoring in the required donor car. Shelby American unveiled the GT500 Code Red at the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit this past weekend. The limited-production model is based on the current-generation Mustang GT500, but Sthelby pulled the supercharger off the 5.2-liter V8- and replaced it with a pair of turbochargers. The engine was re-engineered by Nelson’s Racing Engines and fitted with a dual-feed fuel system, allowing blends of racing fuel when needed. Engine cooling capacity was increased to handle the extra heat. When driving the Code Red using 93-octane gas from the pump, it will produce over 1000 horsepower and 780 pound-feet of torque. When using E85, the Code Red’s will make as much as 1300 horsepower with torque moving up over 1000 pound-feet.

    Shelby American

    Shelby American was up front about the performance of the Code Red, saying: “While not street legal, it’s very capable at moderate speeds in most any curve. But when the turbos spool up, the car is best enjoyed moving straight ahead.” Further modifications include a stronger transmission to hold the increased power, a one-piece driveshaft, Shelby/Baer brakes and rotors, and 20-inch wheels in front with Pirelli P Zero tires and Nitto NY555R drag radials in back.

    Shelby American

    On top of the numerous performance upgrades, the Code Red will have a widebody kit for bigger tires, a new interior, new badging, and a carbon-fiber hood. Shelby will take up to 10 GT500s from 2020, 2021, and 2022, with production capped at 30 total. If you are interested in owning one of the 30, be prepared to spend. The package starts at $209,995 which does not include the over $80,000 price tag of the donor car.
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    350cc Motorcycle Sales July 2022 – Classic, Meteor, Bullet, CB350

    350cc motorcycle sales increased substantially on a YoY basis while MoM sales dipped both in domestic and export marketsRoyal Enfield 350cc Custom By Eimor350cc motorcycles sales and exports grew in July 2022 up 17.06 percent and 109.69 percent respectively over July 2021. De-growth was seen on a MoM basis both where domestic sales and exports were concerned.YoY sales of motorcycles in the 350cc segment in July 2022 saw domestic sales at 44,521 units while exports were at 5,542. This was against 38,034 units sold in domestic markets while 2,643 units were exported during the month of July 2021. MoM sales on the other hand, dipped 4.14 percent in domestic markets from 46,446 units sold in July 2022, while exports fell 26.88 percent over 7,579 units shipped in June 2022.350cc Motorcycle Sales July 2022Royal Enfield Classic 350 led the segment with 23,223 units sold in July 2022. This was a 37.50 percent YoY growth over 16,890 units sold in July 2021. Classic 350 commanded a 52.16 percent share. MoM sales dipped 8.66 percent from 25,425 units sold in June 2022 when share percentage stood at 54.74. Noting high demand for this 350cc model, Royal Enfield has launched new Hunter 350.At No. 2 was the Meteor 350 which has seen both YoY and MoM de-growth. Sales which had stood at 8,777 units in July 2021 dipped 7.85 percent to 8,088 units in July 2022. This was a 689 unit volume de-growth with an 18.17 percent share. MoM sales fell 6.44 percent from 8,645 units sold in June 2022. Royal Enfield had the Bullet 350 in a No. 3 position on this list with YoY de-growth of 8.45 percent to 6,530 units, down from 7,133 units sold in July 2021. This was a 603 unit dip in volumes while it commanded a 14.67 percent share on this list. MoM sales performance was better with a 10.81 percent growth over 5,893 units sold in June 2022.350cc Motorcycle Sales July 2022Electra 350 on the other hand saw a YoY increase in domestic sales in July 2022 to 3,853 units, up from 2,949 units sold in July 2021 leading to a 30.65 percent growth. Performance on a MoM basis was not as good as sales dipped 11.69 percent from 4,363 units sold in June 2022. Royal Enfield currently commands over 80 percent market share, which could increase over the next couple of months with the new Hunter 350.Honda CB 350 was at No. 5 on this list with sales of 2,827 units in July 2022, up 23.72 percent from 2,285 units sold in July 2021. This was a 542 unit volume growth with a 6.35 percent share. MoM sales also increased 33.35 percent from 2,120 units sold in June 2022. Also on the list was Jawa Yezdi with retail sales at 2,971 units, up 16.24 percent over 2,556 units sold in July 2021. It was however a MoM de-growth of 9.81 percent from 3,294 units sold in June 2022.350cc Motorcycle Exports July 2022It was the RE Meteor 350cc that led export markets. Sales stood at 2,844 units in July 2022, up 63.73 percent from 1,737 units sold in July 2021. The Meteor commands a 51.32 percent share. MoM exports however, dipped 18.44 percent from 3,487 units shipped in June 2022 with share percentage at 46.01.350cc Motorcycle Exports July 2022Increased demand was seen for the Classic 350 up 2666.15 percent on a YoY basis from 65 units shipped in July 2021 to 1,798 units in the past month. This was a 1,733 unit volume growth with a 32.44 percent share. When compared to 2,592 units shipped in June 2022, it was a 30.63 percent MoM de-growth.Honda CB 350 saw exports rise 7.02 percent YoY to 900 units in July 2022, up from 841 units sold in July 2021. MoM shipments however, fell 40 percent from 1,500 units shipped in June 2022. Bullet 350 and Electra 350 exports were at 0 units in July 2022 even as there had been 5 units of the Electra shipped in July 2021. More

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    New Electric Rickshaw With Honda Battery Packs – Powered By Tork Motors

    Componentry for Lith Pwr Mobility’s e-PRO is sourced from Tork Motors and Honda Power Pack Energy India Pvt LtdLith Pwr Mobility Launches Electric 3Ws in IndiaRight now, you might have seen that most 3W auto rickshaws are run by either petrol or diesel. Yes, there are CNG ones too and slowly, electric auto rickshaws are creeping up too. But still, petrol and diesel still dominate this segment. Contributing to air pollution and sound pollution.Last mile connectivity services are just as important as intracity public transport and hence this is an important segment. So, Lith Pwr Mobility PVT LTD has launched e-PRO electric 3W rickshaws in India under the EEEVV brand. That’s the brand, okay? So, do two more Es and one extra V make a better EV?Lith Pwr e-PRO Electric 3W RickshawLith Pwr Mobility and EEEVV were so keen on establishing the fact that they had sourced their componentry from well-known OEMs like Tork Motors and Honda Power Pack Energy India, that they seem to have forgotten to establish its product’s very name. I kid you not. A name is not mentioned anywhere. But the front of electric rickshaws says e-PRO and that is likely to be its name or the name of the series.On this occasion, Manish Agarwal, Founder of Lith Pwr said, “With the support of our associate partners who have vast expertise & experience in electric automotive, we are contributing to nation building. At the same time, the three-wheeler (auto-rickshaw) industry is considered a major source of pollution in last mile connectivity services. Our mission is to provide eco-friendly rides for daily commutes in metro cities with zero downtime on a swappable battery pack.”These electric rickshaws get powertrain from Tork Motors and Honda’s swappable battery packsUnder this partnership, powertrain for electric 3-wheelers will be sourced from Tork Motors’ & Honda will provide the battery swapping solution. Commercial operations benefit from the fact that cities like Bengaluru already host multiple swapping stations. Lith Pwr Mobility claims that it has already executed its pilot project in Thane, Maharashtra in 2021 itself.Lith Pwr electric 3W gets an axial flux motor from Tork and it is supported by CAN Bus-based controllers boasting an overall efficiency of 94%. It also gets a 2-speed gearbox that offers flexibility too. This partnership promotes battery swapping policies by NITI Aayog. This e-PRO electric 3W benefits from quality componentry from Tork & Honda to jointly provide the most advanced technology and highest efficiency for the Electric 3-wheeler segment.CompetitionRight now, if we look at the electric 3W segment, YC Electric Vehicles dominate by a small margin. YC products are not properly homologated as 3W rickshaws and come off as an after-thought. Then comes Mahindra with its Treo range of electric 3W which is designed from the ground up by a mainstream manufacturer. We should also see Bajaj’s RE EV electric 3W rickshaw soon enough.Lith Pwr Mobility and EEEVV have a lot of competition to tackle and establish themselves. But, given the swappable battery from Honda and powertrain from Tork, e-PRO looks like an attractive option in the sea of electric 3W startups. Also, swappable battery tech is looking like the future of last mile connectivity, B2B platforms, intracity transportation and intracity logistics too.  More