About Sameer Contractor
Sameer ContractorConnect with this authorWith an unquenchable thirst for everything automotive, Sameer has always been the go to auto guy that his friends needed. So, it isnt exactly surprising that he chooses to do what he does. A Batman fanatic, Sameers wants to go roof-scaping on the Tumbler, while the Bat motorcycle is certainly on the cards and he plans to build one himself. An avid foodie, he has a road trip in order that will be taking him across the world in search for the best roads and the best cuisines. While his stress buster involves taking aimless motorcycle rides, do not get offended by his sarcasm.
Articles of Sameer Contractor
Kia Motors Announces Lucky Drive To Seoul Contest For K-Pop Fans In India
South Korean carmaker Kia Motors made its way to the Indian market this year, and the automaker's first-ever offering, the Seltos is off to a good start in terms of sales. The manufacturer is now offering fans of the brand a chance to see its home market Korea and meet K-Pop (Korean Pop) girl band BLACKPINK as part of its 'Lucky Drive to Seoul' contest. Kia Motors India will sponsor an all-expenses-paid trip to Seoul for 10 lucky winners to witness the K-Pop cultural event with one companion each. BLACKPINK is the most popular K-Pop girl band and the most subscribed girl band on YouTube.
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Ford Mustang Inspired Electric SUV Teased Ahead Of Reveal In November
About a year after the Ford Motor Company first revealed its plans to bring a Mustang-inspired electric SUV, the company has finally dropped the first official teaser for the upcoming offering that will make its global debut on November 17, 2019, at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The upcoming Ford Electric SUV is will be a crossover and will take on the upcoming Tesla Model Y in the electric SUV space. While the electric crossover was initially rumoured to be called Mach 1, taking a page from the Mustang monikers, recent speculations have suggested that the American automaker could opt for the name 'Mach-E' instead, which not only seems to fit seamlessly but manages to remain distinctive as well.
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Customer Pays For New Honda Activa 125 BS6 In Coins; Dealership Takes 3 Hours To Count
Purchasing a new vehicle is usually an exciting process for any customer, possibly down to the part when you have to pay for it. Now, some may choose to take a loan, or swipe their credit cards to make the payment, and some choose to make an outright payment too and that usually is a great option for both the buyer and the dealership. However, in an amusing turn of events, a customer - Rakesh Gupta - in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh decided to purchase a new Honda Activa 125 BS6 on the auspicious occasion of Diwali but decided to pay for the same only in coins. Priced at nearly Rs. 83,000 (on-road), the dealership took about three hours to count the money.
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MotoGP: Marquez Wins Australia GP After Vinales' Final Lap Crash
Honda's Marc Marquez secured his fifth consecutive victory of the season in the Australia Grand Prix after Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales crashed on the final lap in the lead. The reigning world champion had a slow start along with Vinales on the Philip Island circuit, while Yamaha's Valentino Rossi secured the lead in what was his 400th GP start. It was an interesting top order this time with Rossi followed by LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow and Aprilia rider Andrea Iannone at P3. With Vinales crashing on the last lap, Crutchlow was promoted to P2, while Pramac Ducati's Jack Miller took the final spot on the podium.
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Rally Driver Gaurav Gill Granted Bail In Rally Of Jodhpur Accident
Ace Indian rally driver Gaurav Gill has been granted bail by the Jodhpur court over the untoward incident during the Rally Of Jodhpur in September this year. Gill was booked under Section 304A of IPC by the investigating agency, which caused the death of three villagers that had accidentally made their way on to the rally circuit on a motorcycle.
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New Generation Audi A6 Launched In India; Prices Start At Rs. 54.20 Lakh
The 2020 Audi A6 has finally made its way to India with prices starting at Rs. 54.20 lakh (ex-showroom, India). The eighth generation Audi A6 is a completely new model with revamped styling, improved interior with more space at the rear and a host of new tech on offer. The new A6 has been introduced only with a petrol heart in the country, as part of Volkswagen's decision to move away from diesel engines globally. That being said, a diesel engine could be introduced later based on the demand. The Audi A6 takes on a number of offerings in the mid-size luxury sedan segment including the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series, Volvo S90 and the Jaguar XF.
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Diwali Discounts 2019: Best Offers On Cars This Festive Season
Diwali is right around the corner and carmakers in India have been flooding the market with special festive discounts and offers to get those customers walking into showrooms. Right from hatchbacks to full-size SUVs, there are several festive offers including cash discounts, exchange benefits, free insurance and extended warranties across models in the market. In fact, with the BS6 emission norms set to kick-in from April 2018, automakers are benefits are substantial, especially on the diesel vehicles. It certainly is a buyer's market this year, and we've listed some of the best deals you can get on cars this festive season.
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MG Hector Crosses 10,000 Production Milestone; Gets First Over-The-Air Update
Morris Garages has announced the rollout of 10,000 units of the Hector from its facility at Halol, Gujarat in just four months since launch in the country. The announcement affirms the strong demand for the MG Hector, which has exceeded company expectations and prompted MG Motor India to add a second shift at the plant to ramp up the production. The second shift will commence in November this year and is backed by the increased component supply from its global and local vendors, according to the automaker. In addition, the Hector also received its first over-the-air (OTA) update since launch.
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Toyota Confirms Plans To Launch Its Electric Car In India
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has confirmed that the Japanese automaker will be introducing battery electric vehicles (BEV) in the Indan market. The new Toyota electric vehicle for India is under development in collaboration with Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), the manufacturer's top official has confirmed ahead of the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. Toyota's Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Shigeki Terashi said, "India is, of course, one of the countries we have in mind for introduction (of battery electric vehicles). Toyota is large in Japan but has limited presence in India. Maruti Suzuki is large in India...With Suzuki we will explore the possibilities of BEVs (in India)".
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2020 Skoda Octavia Leaked Ahead Of Global Reveal In November
Skoda Auto's popular selling Octavia sedan is scheduled to enter its 11th generation next month, and ahead of the big reveal in Prague, an exterior image of the car has been leaked online. While Skoda released sketches of the new Octavia recently, the leaked image comes from the automaker's online configurator that is yet to go live and gives us a good look at the new design language. As expected, the 2020 Skoda Octavia shares its design cues with the new Superb complete with the long and swooping bonnet, new single headlamp cluster design that we first saw on the Scala and a wider butterfly grille. The new Octavia looks more stately than the predecessor and that's something the executive sedan class buyers will appreciate.
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Benelli Imperiale 400 Launched In India, Priced At Rs. 1.69 Lakh
Benelli India has launched its most affordable motorcycle, the Imperiale 400 cruiser. The new Benelli Imperiale 400 is priced at Rs. 1.69 lakh (ex-showroom, India), and is a direct rival to the Royal Enfield Classic 350 and the Jawa in the segment. The new Imperiale is also the company's first offering in the classic bike space and has been a long-awaited model ever since it was first unveiled globally in 2017. Benelli says new Imperiale 400 recalls the brand's strong heritage and is a reinterpretation of the Benelli MotoBi range that was produced during the 1950s. Bookings for the Imperiale 400 are now open for a token amount of Rs. 4000 across the company's dealerships and on its website.
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New Generation Toyota Yaris Hatchback Revealed For Europe
The Toyota Yaris is one of the top-selling offerings from the manufacturer globally, and the company has now revealed official images and details about the new generation version. The fourth generation Toyota Yaris is built on the latest derivative of the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) - GA-B - that replaces the B platform in the company's stable for small cars, and the hatchback sports a completely new design language looking sportier than the previous iteration with the preferences of a European customer base. The new car is also about 20 kg lighter and offers 40 per cent improved structural rigidity with the use of high tensile strength steel in its construction.
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Hyundai Santro Anniversary Edition To Be Launched Soon; Prices To Start At Rs. 5.17 lakh
The new Hyundai Santro completes its first anniversary on October 23, 2019, and to celebrate the occasion, the South Korean automaker will soon roll out the Anniversary edition of the hatchback. The Hyundai Santro Anniversary Edition gets cosmetic and feature updates and will be based on Sportz trim on the model. Leaked details about the new Santro special edition reveal a starting price of Rs. 5.17 lakh, going up to Rs. 5.75 lakh for the AMT version (all prices, ex-showroom Delhi), which makes it about Rs. 10,000 more expensive than the mid-spec version. The special variant is also being launched just in time for the festive season that should help push volumes further for the automaker.
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Veteran Actor Hema Malini Brings Home The MG Hector
Veteran actor and Member of Parliament, Hema Malini is the newest customer to join the MG family. The actor brought home the MG Hector and actor was recently seen taking delivery of her newest possession as part of the celebrations for her 71st birthday on October 16, 2019. Vehicle records suggest that the Baghban actor has purchased the top-of-the-line diesel Sharp variant of the Hector SUV. A video posted by the automaker's Mumbai-based dealership also revealed her reasons for choosing the car based on her requirements. Interestingly, Hema Malini first saw the car on display at one of the airports, which piqued her interest in the car. In case, you were wondering if those displays do convert into sales, here's your answer.
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MotoGP: Honda Crowned Constructors' Champions 2019 As Marquez Beats Quartararo To Win Japanese GP
Marc Marquez secured his 10th MotoGP victory of 2019 handing the 2019 Constructor's championship title to the Repsol Honda Racing team with the Japanese Grand Prix. Fresh off claiming his sixth premier-class title win at Thailand in the last round, Marquez converted his pole position start into yet another victory, despite receiving resistance from Fabio Quartararo on the opening lap. The Petronas Yamaha rider went on to secure a second place finish in the race, mimicking the Thailand GP once again, while late charge from Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso saw him take the final spot on the podium. With the Japanese GP victory, Marquez equals Mick Doohan's record of 54 premier-class wins in MotoGP.
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TVS Motor Company Introduces Riding Gear Range At MotoSoul 2019
TVS Motor Company dropped the curtains off its maiden annual motorcycling event - MotoSoul 2019, and made some major announcements amidst the media as well as owners and enthusiasts. In addition to introducing the Dakar rider squad for 2020, the company has launched the TVS Racing Performance Gear for the masses, which the combines premium build quality with new-age urban design, the Hosur-based manufacturer said in a statement. The first-ever edition of MotoSoul has witnessed over 2500 people in attendance in Goa, and is a congregation of the Apache Owners Groups (AOGs) from across the globe, making it the perfect platform to introduce the new riding gear.
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Triumph Announces Offers For Diwali On Select Motorcycles Up To Rs. 2.8 Lakh
British bike maker, Triumph Motorcycles has announced a host of offers for the festive season on select motorcycles. The offers include accessories, and freebies up to Rs. 2.8 lakh, along with additional warranty. The new offers extend on the Triumph Street Triple RS, the Tiger 800 XR, Tiger 1200 and the Bonneville T100, which remain popular sellers for the manufacturer in India. The schemes though are available on limited stock. Triumph says the offers cannot be exchanged for cash benefits, and are valid only till October 27, 2019.
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Sherco TVS Announces 4 Rider Squad For Dakar Rally 2020
Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team has announced its four rider squad that will be participating in the 2020 Dakar Rally. The team includes seasoned racer Michael Metge of France, Enduro Champion Lorenzo Santolino of Spain and Johnny Aubert of France, along with Indias ace rider Harith Noah set to make his Dakar debut next year. The announcement was made at the maiden edition of TVS MotoSoul in Goa, a congregation of owners and biking enthusiasts from across the country. The 2020 Dakar Rally will be held between January 5-17 next year, in Saudi Arabia for the first time, shifting base from South America.
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Mercedes-Benz Introduces G Manufaktur Programme In India With Over 1 Million Customisation Options
The Mercedes-Benz G 350d was finally launched in India this week with a starting price of Rs. 1.5 crore (ex-showroom, India). While the G-Class has been on sale in the country since 2011, first with the G55 AMG and later in the form of the G63 AMG, the G 350d opens the SUV to a wider array of customers. The slightly less ostentatious price tag and the added practicality of a diesel heart and off-road capability makes it quite apt to be a daily driver. But, how do you make something as recognisable as the G-Class into something that's unique to you? With the 'G Manufaktur' customisation programme of course, the new programme is specific for the G-Class customers and was introduced in India with the G 350d bringing over one million customisation options on the SUV.
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Volkswagen Announces 'Volksfest 2019' With Benefits Up To Rs. 1.8 Lakh On Polo, Vento & Ameo
Volkswagen India has introduced its annual festive carnival - Volksfest 2019 - introducing a number of additional offers and discounts on select variants of the Polo, Vento and Ameo models. The benefits across sales, after-sales and financial services up to Rs. 1.80 lakh and will be available across the German automaker's 132 sales touchpoints across 102 cities until October 31, 2019. In addition, prospective customers taking test drives of the VW carline will be eligible to a miniature Volkswagen Hot Wheels scale model, as part of the brand's tie-up with toymaker Mattel India. The Volksfest also brings new engagement exercises and activation zones at dealerships for the festive season.
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