Homegrown EV manufacturer Ather Energy has commenced its operations in Chennai, its second market after Bengaluru. The company held its first customer event last weekend in the city, and has also begun accepting pre-bookings for its electric scooters for a token amount of ₹ 5000. The Ather 450 is priced at ₹ 1.31 lakh, while the entry-level Ather 340 is priced at ₹ 1.11 lakh (all prices, on-road Chennai), and will be officially launched tomorrow. The prices are about ₹ 5000-6000 more expensive than Bangalore. It is to be noted that the on-road price is in-line with the current GST rate of 12 per cent on EVs, and is likely to see a reduction once the GST council approves the five per cent rate as recommended under the Union Budget 2019.
Ather Energy has promised a delivery timeline of September 2019, for the first batch of bookings, while the second batch will receive their electric scooters between November and December this year. The company has also confirmed that the first batch is already booked, while bookings are open for the second batch at present. Deliveries for the third batch will begin from February 2020 in Chennai. Apart from the purchase option, the Ather scooters can be leased too with rentals starting at ₹ 2517 per month. In additon, the first customers also get one year of Ather One subscription for free.
Ather Energy has already been working on setting up its charging infrastructure in Chennai and currently has 10 charging points across the city. The company is expected to add a few more going forward. The Ather 450 is the two-wheeler maker’s flagship offering and promises a range of 55-75 km on a single charge from a 2.4 kWh lithium-ion battery. The scooter uses a BLDC motor that produces a healthy 20.5 Nm of peak torque and peak power output of 5.4 kW (7.2 bhp). The scooter can sprint from 0-40 kmph in 3.9 seconds.
The Ather 450 and 340 electric scooters are produced at the company’s facility in Bengaluru with a yearly capacity of 30,000 units. Ather is working on expanding its production capacity as it will grow presence in other cities including Mumbai, Delhi and Pune next year.
The Ducati Multistrada 1260 has been launched in India in two colours, with prices starting at ₹ 19.99 lakh (ex-showroom) for the Red shade, and a new Sand shade, which has been priced at ₹ 20.23 lakh (ex-showroom). The Multistrada 1260 Enduro is the top-of-the-line adventure touring motorcycle from Ducati, and will replace the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro. The new Multistrada 1260 Enduro gets a new engine which it shares with the Multistrada 1260, XDiavel, and Diavel 1260, and it also gets top-notch components, including semi-active electronic suspension, cornering ABS, traction control, wheelie control, and more. Here’s a look at what the new Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro offers.
The Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro comes with the all-new 1,262 cc, Testastretta DVT (Desmodromic Valve Timing) L-twin engine, which puts out 156 bhp at 9,500 rpm and 128 Nm of peak torque at 7,500 rpm. The DVT engine offers Ducati’s version of variable valve timing, which offers more torque throughout the rev range. According to Ducati, 85 per cent of the torque is available under 3,500 rpm, and with a 17 per cent increase in pulling power at 5,500 rpm compared to the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro it will replace.
The Multistrada 1260 Enduro gets four riding modes. Sport comes with aggressive throttle response, with the full 156 bhp power; Touring offers the full power, but with a toned down, and smoother throttle response; Urban offers power reduced to 100 bhp, as does Enduro. And each of these riding modes are further customisable, across different parameters, with the Enduro mode offering three power modes. The 6-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) powers the Ducati Cornering Lights, as well as the Bosch Cornering ABS which has three settings, and can be switched off. The Wheelie Control has eight settings and can be switched off as well, as is the eight-level Traction Control system. The up/down Ducati Quick Shift system offers seamless upshift and downshifts.
he settings on the electronic rider aids can be toggled via a 5-inch, full-colour, TFT high-resolution dashboard derived from the Panigale V4. What Ducati calls a sophisticated Human Machine Interface (HMI) has user-friendly switchgear controls and a Ducati Multimedia System (DMS) which can be connected to the rider’s smartphone via Bluetooth. The Ducati Link App allows intuitive use and choice of travel mode (combination of Load and Riding mode) and allows easy customisation of parameters of each riding mode via a smartphone.
The Sachs shock offers full adjustability, and power output on the throttle has three levels – high, medium and low. The front fork also offers four levels of adjustability – soft, medium, harder and hardest. Even the bike load can be programmed, according to individual requirements across four settings – ride, rider with luggage, rider with passenger, rider with passenger and luggage. The semi-active suspension, controlled by the Ducati Skyhook Suspension Evolution (DSS) system allows complete adjustability and can be set to 400 different configurations. The 19-inch front, and 17-inch rear wire spoke wheels come shod with Pirelli Scorpion Trail II tyres. Braking is handled by four-piston Brembo M4.32 monobloc calipers squeezing dual 320 mm discs up front, and a two-piston Brembo caliper squeezing a 265 mm single disc on the rear wheel.
The ergonomics have been revised on the new Multistrada 1260 Enduro, and part of that is due to the lowered suspension travel and seat height. The chassis has been redesigned, reducing the suspension travel to 185 mm, down from 200 mm on the 1200 Enduro. Seat height has also been lowered as a result to 860 mm making the bike easier to handle for all riders. The handlebar has also been lowered, and the front portion of the seat, as well as the fuel tank is now slimmer. Overall dimensions of the bike though remain the same, with the same 225 kg dry weight.
The Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro has been priced at ₹ 19.99 lakh (ex-showroom) for the one in Red, and if you want it in the new Sand shade, it will set you back by ₹ 20.23 lakh (ex-showroom). At that price point in India, the Multistrada 1260 Enduro competes head on with the BMW R 1250 GS, and the Triumph Tiger 1200 XCx.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Engine Dispacement | 1,262 cc |
| Maximum Power | 156 bhp @ 9,500 rpm |
| Peak Torque | 128 Nm @ 7,500 rpm |
| Dry Weight | 225 kg (254 kg kerb weight) |
| Seat Height | 840-880 mm |
| Gearbox | 6-speed with up/down Ducati Quick Shift |
| Front Suspension | 48 mm fully adjustable USD fork; electronic compression and rebound damping adjustment with Evo Ducati Skyhook Suspension |
| Rear Suspension | Fully adjustable monoshock; electronic compression, rebound damping and spring pre-load adjustment with DSS |
| Front Brake | 320 mm semi-floating discs with radially mounted Brembo monobloc M4.32 calipers, cornering ABS |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 30 litres |
| Service Intervals | 15,000 km |
| Valve Clearance Check | 30,000 km |
| Safety Equipment | Ducati Safety Pack: Cornering ABS & Traction Control, Riding Modes, Power Modes, Ducati Wheelie Control, Ducati Cornering Lights, Vehicle Hold Control |
Revolt Intellicorp Private Limited has announced pre-bookings for the company’s first electric motorcycle, the Revolt RV400 on Amazon. With this partnership, Revolt has become the first motorcycle brand to be available for pre-booking on an e-commerce platform. Revolt Intellicorp’s RV 400 electric motorcycle is available for pre-bookings for ₹ 1,000 on Amazon. The Revolt RV 400 was unveiled for the first time on June 18, and is described by the company as India’s first AI-enabled motorcycle. Pre-bookings have already begun on revoltmotors.com for Delhi and Pune, and from July 5, 2019 on Amazon. According to Revolt Intellicorp, so far, there have been more than 2,000 pre-orders for the Revolt RV 400.
We believe there is a lot of opportunity that exists in the online retail space that has been untouched. Following the recent e-revolution that has just begun, we wanted to go beyond traditional retail and widen the width of our distribution. The look of the motorcycle has created a lot of excitement, particularly with the Generation (wh)Y. In yet another disruption, Revolt Intellicorp is happy to partner with Amazon India, the perfect platform to reach our consumers. However, we also understand that the day of vehicle delivery is an important tradition in India, so when it is time for us to deliver, our customers will be in for a big surprise,” said Shubhodip Pal, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer, Revolt Intellicorp Private Limited.
We are excited to partner with Revolt Intellicorp to bring their new AI enabled motorcycle RV 400 for our customers on Amazon.in. Smart mobility solutions are the future of automotive technology and this partnership allows us to bring them closer to our customers across the country,” said Shalini Puchalapalli, Director – Category Management, Amazon India.
The Revolt RV 400, India’s first motorcycle enabled with artificial intelligence, will be available in two colours – Rebel Red and Cosmic Black. The RV 400 has a claimed range of 156 km and is powered by the Revolt App, which is available on both Android and iOS platforms. While the exact specifications will be announced when the RV 400 is officially launched, it still has several unique connectivity features on the Revolt App such as bike locator, door-step battery delivery, mobile swap stations, anti-theft measures, sound selection and preview and many other features. The complete specifications and features will be announced when the RV 400 is formally launched, sometime later this month.
Royal Enfield riders heading to the high Himalayas have something else to cheer about now. The company has just inaugurated two high altitude authorised service stations – one on the hugely popular Manali-Leh highway leading to Ladakh, and one in Kaza, the sib-divisional headquarters of the remote Spiti Valley. The two new service centres in Himachal Pradesh, one in Keylong, and the other one in Kaza, will cater to thousands of Royal Enfield motorcyclists travelling over high mountain passes to Ladakh and through Spiti Valley. With these two new service centres, Royal Enfield now has a total of 13 authorised service centres in Himachal Pradesh, and 943 across the country.
The Himalayas has been the spiritual home to Royal Enfield, and for over 60 years, riding enthusiasts have traversed these mountains on our motorcycles. Over the last few years, we have seen an increase in the number of people riding to the Himalayas on Royal Enfields. With the expansion of our service network in Himachal Pradesh at Kaza and Keylong, we have ensured that riders get adequate support even at high altitudes and challenging terrains. With places like Leh, Ladakh, Lahaul and Spiti getting featured on every rider’s bucket list, these service centres will cater to riders travelling to Leh region from any of the two routes – via Manali or Shimla,” said Shaji Koshy, Head – India Business, Royal Enfield.
Both the service centres offer full service facilities with over four service bays and a crew of fully trained and authorized Royal Enfield service personnel providing support to all riders on these routes. Royal Enfield has an established network of dealerships across India, including remote locations in Ladakh and rest of Jammu and Kashmir, as well as in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim among others. Royal Enfield is one of the largest selling motorcycle brands in the mid-size segment in India. In June 2019, Royal Enfield sales dropped 22 per cent amidst a slowdown in the auto sector in India. But the company still despatched nearly 60,000 bikes in that month. In June 2018, Royal Enfield had sold 74,477 units.