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
Okinawa Cuts Prices Across Electric Scooter Range Post GST Revision
Gurgaon-based Okinawa Autotech has announced a price cut across its electric scooter range post GST rate revision for electric vehicles. The Okinawa range powered by the Lead Acid battery is affordable by Rs. 2,500-4,700, while the models using a Lithium-ion battery get a price cut between Rs. 3,400-8,600. Under the new rates, EVs are charged five per cent GST instead of the older 12 per cent GST, as it was suggested under the Union Budget 2019. The drop in prices clubbed with FAME II subsidy has made the on-road price of the electric scooters much lower than the current asking price. The new prices have been effective since August 1, 2019.
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Honda CB300R Receives Its First Price Hike
The Honda CB300R has received its first price hike since launch and now retails at Rs. 2.42 lakh (ex-showroom). The CB300R is now dearer by Rs. 989, over its launch price of Rs. 2.41 lakh from February this year. The Honda CB300R met with a highly positive response at the time of its launch and was sold out for the next three months since the motorcycle went on sale. The bike comes to India as a Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kit and interestingly has managed to outsell the locally produced Honda CBR250R.
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Bajaj Pulsar 220F Gets New Matte Red Paint Scheme
The Bajaj Pulsar 220F has been introduced with a new Volcanic Red paint scheme in India, priced at Rs. 1.07 lakh (ex-showroom). The colour option is available in addition to the black and blue shades that is already on sale and the pricing too remains unchanged. The red shade was originally launched with the Pulsar 220F when the fuel-injected version over a decade ago and the paint option makes a comeback after a while on the long-selling motorcycle. The Bajaj Pulsar 220F continues to be a popular offering from the manufacturer, and the new matte colour does bring a little nostalgia to it.
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Benelli Imperiale 400 To Be Launched This Festive Season
The Benelli Imperiale 400 is a Royal Enfield Classic 350 rival and will be arriving in India this festive season.
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Kia Seltos Starts Arriving At Dealerships Across India
Kia Motor India is all set to introduce its first product - Seltos - later this month and the compact SUV has started arriving at dealerships across the country. The Kia Seltos was unveiled to the public at the company's Hyderabad dealership recently, along with Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Siliguri among other major metros. Kia is commencing operations with 256 touchpoints across 160 cities pan India in a bid to reach out to customers more effectively right from the start. The Kia Seltos is scheduled for launch on August 22, 2019, while bookings are already open for a token amount of Rs. 25,000.
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Maruti Suzuki XL6 Cabin Revealed In New Teaser Images
The Maruti Suzuki XL6 is the next product from the Indian automaker and the company has revealed more details about its new MPV in a series of teaser images. The XL6 is the more loaded and premium people's mover based on the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and is scheduled to go on sale in India on August 21, 2019. The latest set of teasers reveal a number of details on Maruti's premium MPV including the grille, dashboard and seating layout, along with the all-black interior.
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Benelli Leoncino 500 Launched In India; Priced At Rs. 4.79 Lakh
Making its much-awaited India debut, Italian bike maker Benelli has introduced the Leoncino 500 motorcycle priced at Rs. 4.79 lakh (ex-showroom, India). The all-new offering is a scrambler-styled bike that takes inspiration from the 'Lion Cub' models of the 1950s and '60s while packing in modern mechanicals. The Benelli Leoncino 500 has been a long-awaited model and is the second launch from the bike maker after resurrecting its operations in India earlier this year in collaboration with Adishwar Auto Ride India. Bookings for the Benelli Leoncino have commenced online for Rs. 10,000, and can be done at any of the manufacturer's dealerships as well.
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Hyundai Creta Sports Edition Launched In India; Prices Start At Rs. 12.78 Lakh
The compact SUV segment is where all the action is right now in the Indian market and an old player like Hyundai does not want to be left behind. The Korean carmaker has silently rolled out the Hyundai Creta Sports Edition. The special edition brings a host of cosmetic and feature upgrades with prices starting at Rs. 12.78 lakh for the petrol and Rs. 14.13 lakh for the diesel (all prices, ex-showroom Mumbai). The Sports Edition is priced premium at a premium by up to Rs. 60,000 over the standard SX trim, which it is based on.
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F1: Hamilton Beats Verstappen In High Octane Duel To Win Hungary GP
Lewis Hamilton won the 2019 Formula 1 Hungary Grand Prix beating pole-sitter Max Verstappen after a high octane battle. With four laps to go, the Mercedes driver passed Verstappen to claim his seventh win of the year. The Red Bull racer finished 17.796s behind the race leader while Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel finished third over a minute behind Hamilton, taking the podium finish from teammate Charles Leclerc.
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Indian Army Adds Mahindra e-Verito EVs To Its Official Fleet To Reduce Carbon Footprint
Keeping up with the central government's policies to switch to electric mobility, the Indian army has employed electric vehicles as part of its fleet. In partnership with Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), a Joint Venture of Central PSUs under Ministry of Power, the Indian Army will be using the EVs for the use of its officials in New Delhi with a total of 10 electric cars to be operated as part of the pilot project. The army will develop further on the initiative and increase the number of EVs in Delhi to in a bid to improve efficiency and minimise emissions.
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Tata Tigor EV Gets A Rs. 80,000 Price Reduction Under New GST Rates
The government recently announced a reduction in GST rates on electric vehicles in a bid to push faster adoption of EVs, and this has prompted automakers to pass on the benefits to customers. The latest to join the cause is Tata Motors, which has announced a price reduction of Rs. 80,000 on the Tigor EV. The new GST rate for EVs stands at five per cent as opposed to the earlier 12 per cent, which has prompted the reduction in prices. The Tata Tigor EV was previously priced between Rs. 12.35-12.71 lakh, and will now be available from Rs. 11.58 lakh to Rs. 11.92 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom Mumbai).
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Ather Announces Price Cut Of Up To Rs. 9000 On Electric Scooters Post New GST Rates
The Ather 340 and the 450 get a price reduction by up to Rs. 9000 on the on-road prices. The price drop comes with the change in the GST rates for EVs that now stands at five per cent instead of 12 per cent, applicable from August 1, 2019.
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Kawasaki W800 vs Triumph Street Twin vs Harley-Davidson Street Rod: Spec Comparison
The Kawasaki W800 Street was a long rumoured motorcycle that finally arrived in India recently. The bike belongs the modern-classic segment, a space that has picked up in popularity and volumes in recent years as more and more manufacturers are churning out offerings globally. In India, Triumph found its Bonneville series to gain most popularity in this space while traditional players like Harley-Davidson are now present here. With the W800 finally on sale, it's time to see how does the model stack against its direct rivals - the Triumph Street Twin and the Harley-Davidson Street Rod in the segment. Here's a quick comparison on paper.
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Baja Aragon 2019: Sherco TVS' Michael Metge Wins Stage 1, Hero's CS Santosh Finishes In Top 10
The 36th edition of the Baja Aragon Rally kick-started over the weekend and saw Indian teams Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team and Hero MotoSports Team Rally traverse challenging terrains in Teruel, Spain. The first day comprised two Super Stages spanning 250 km and saw Sherco-TVS rider Michael Metge claim his dominance with a P1 finish completing the stage with a time of 03h14m56s. Teammate Lorenzo Santolino finished at P7, +28s behind Metge, while Harith Noah finished at P8. CS Santosh was the fastest rider from Hero and managed to take P10, +19m43s behind the race leader.
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Kawasaki W800 Street Launched In India; Priced At Rs. 7.99 Lakh
A long awaited launch, India Kawasaki Motor has introduced the W800 Street retro-styled motorcycle in the country priced at Rs. 7.99 lakh (ex-showroom). The Kawasaki W800 is the bike maker's retro offering and was under consideration for the Indian market for years now. In fact, the bike was even showcased at Indian dealerships back in 2015 to gauge customer response, but it's taken about four years for the offering to hit the Indian shores. The new Kawasaki W800 competes primarily against the Triumph Street Twin in the segment and bookings are now open for the motorcycle.
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Porsche Macan Facelift Launched In India; Prices Start At Rs. 69.98 Lakh
Having made its global debut last year, the 2019 Porsche Macan facelift has been launched in India with prices starting at Rs. 69.98 lakh (ex-showroom, India). Bookings for the baby SUV from Porsche started in June this year and the model now comes with revisions to the design, comfort, connectivity and even driving dynamics. It also takes inspiration from the new generation Cayenne that made its India debut earlier this year.
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F1: Verstappen Wins Rain-Soaked German GP; Vettel Finishes Second
Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen claimed his second win of the year as the young racer mastered challenging conditions to win the 2019 Formula 1 German Grand Prix. The race started under the clouds only for the track to dry out around the closing stages and saw a number of the big wigs losing control at the Hockenheim circuit. Coming in second was Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel who climbed 18 spots after a qualifying gaffe to take a podium finish, while Daniil Kvyat finished third in his first podium finish of the season. The German GP was disastrous for Mercedes however, as pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton finished 11th while Valtteri Bottas crashed out.
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Raiden Samervel & Nirvaan Chandna Bag Podiums In AutoInc Asia Max Challenge 2019
Indian karting racers Raiden Samervel and Nirvaan Chandna of Team Rayo Racing put up a brilliant show bagging podiums in Round 4 of the AutoInc Asia Max Challenge 2019 in Sepang, Malaysia. Raiden finished first while Nirvaan finished in second in the Novice Category of the series. Both teenagers participating in the Micro Max category finished 12th and 13th overall, respectively.
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MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo To Miss 2 GP Races Due To Back Injury
Honda rider Jorge Lorenzo suffered a back injury during the first practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix earlier this year, and the injury will keep the three-time MotoGP world champion out of action longer than anticipated. The rider will go on to miss the next two Grand Prix next month. This includes the Brno GP slated on August 4 along with the Austrian GP scheduled the subsequent weekend - August 11. He is now slated to make a comeback with the British GP on August 25, 2019.
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Madras Motor Race Track Plans To Host Night Races
In what will be a big step towards motorsport in India, the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) is planning to host night races. A recent report quotes Vicky Chandhok, MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship - Chairman and Vice President of the MMSC (Madras Motor Sports Club), stating that the club has earmarked funds for install floodlights required to host night races at the track. However, unlike the Bahrain GP or the Singapore GP in Formula 1, the night races in India will be styled along the lines of the endurance racing with the lights needed largely aiding marshalls in case of an accident or for retrieving vehicles.
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