2 Auto Expo 2008 Coverage: Honda, Suzuki, Hero Honda

Auto Expo 2008 Coverage of Hero Honda, Honda and Suzuki pavilions..

# Hero Honda: Hero Honda has managed to set up the most exciting pavilion among the two wheeler makers.

Just hold your horses..!! What I mean is that the "LOOK" of the Hero Honda Pavilion is the most attractive among the rest. On entering the Hero Honda Pavilion you will be greeted by thumping music and dim lights which will instantly remind you of being in a Discotheque.

Hero Honda Pavilion @ AutoExpo 2008

"If you are really lucky like me, you will most probably get to see a Fashion Show..!!"

In the center of the Pavilion there is an artificial waterfall, behind which two Honda Dirt Bikes are hung vertically. Bikes from Hero Honda stables like the 100 cc passion to the Karizma and the recent Hunk surround the entire setting.

If you are really lucky like me, you will most probably get to see a Fashion Show which goes around the elevated ramp constructed around the Hero Honda Pavilion.

Fashion Show at the Hero Honda Pavilion

By the way.. there are no new products on display.



# Honda: Honda (HMSI) had the usual Shine, Unicorn, Activa, Dio display..


.. two concept bikes and a few imports..


.. and unveiling (the Big Launch) of a 102 cc scooter called the "Aviator"..!!

Honda "Aviator" being launched

# Suzuki: Suzuki India had some Japanese bikes on display on one side of their pavilion and on the other side, the usual 125 cc Heat, Zeus and the newly launched Scooter was on display.







Can somebody tell me why exactly am I writing this post..??





Disclaimer:

This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.

15 Concept Bike from Honda (HMSI) @ Auto Expo 2008

Pics of the Concept bike from Honda India (HMSI)..

Here are the Pics (Courtesy XBHP.Com) of the Concept Bike from Honda India (HMSI) called the Concept CBF which will be on display at the HMSI Pavilion (at Hall No. 7) in Auto Expo 2008..

Honda Concept CBF Sports

Honda Concept CBF Racing

Please note that the bikes shown above are "Concept" Bikes which means that the chances of these bikes making it into the production line most probably is slim.

Why is it there then..?? To gauge public reaction..??

Disclaimer:

This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.

6 Visited Auto Expo Today, Stalls are being prepared: Part-2 [Honda/Suzuki/TVS/Yamaha]

Visited Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and TVS pavilions at the Auto Expo 2008..

The pavilions for Honda (HMSI), Suzuki, Yamaha, and TVS are situated in hall no. 7. Construction work was going on in these halls as well. Here is what I saw in these Pavilions..

Honda: Honda seems to be more serious in launching a new scooter called the "Aviator". The models were practicing the launch/unveiling of the "Aviator" on the stage.



"9'th January 2008 is reserved for the Press Only.

I hope that I would be able to visit the Auto Expo on the 10'th of January.. and get all the details of the new launches"

There was a flat screen display on stage where the products were being displayed. Apart from the Scooter "Aviator", I remember seeing a motorcycle called the "Concept CBF" on the electronic screen. The Concept CBF has a monoshock rear suspension and a half fairing like the Hero Honda Karizma and the Bajaj Pulsar 220. The engine looked very much similar to the Honda Unicorn. But since the name itself suggests that it is a concept, it probably is just a show bike.

All the bikes were kept under covers. But I did manage to see a few bikes as they were polishing the bikes one by one. I got to see a few imported big Honda Bikes viz. the CBR and the Hornet..!!

Suzuki: The Suzuki Pavilion is bang opposite to the Honda Pavilion. The bikes were being unloaded and put on their display zones. I got to see the Hayabusa, B King, GSX R 1000, Bandit S and a Dirt Bike which probably had a 400 cc engine.

Did not get to see any new domestic launches when I was there.

Yamaha: The Yamaha Stall was under construction and there were no bikes present there.. But I did get to see the "Layout Map" of the Yamaha Pavilion. On the Layout Map I could see the space reserved for a Yamaha RX100and RD350 along with the R1 and the MT-01 models. The rest was coded and therefore couldn't make out what they stood for.

TVS: The TVS pavilion had a few bikes which were heavily covered with paper and plastic. But i could make out that those bikes were the 125 cc Flame and the 160 cc Apache.. Couldn't get a closer look to figure out whether there was an Apache RTR 160 "Fi" around.

I was cursing myself for not taking the camera along. But with covers on most of the bike, the photos wouldn't have been of any value either.

9'th January 2008 is reserved for the Press Only. I hope that I would be able to visit the Auto Expo on the 10'th of January.. and get all the details of the new launches.


Due to the lack of time I couldn't find and visit the Hero Honda pavilion.

Disclaimer:

This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.

4 Visited Auto Expo Today, Stalls are being prepared: Part-1 [Bajaj to display a 4 Wheeler..!! + Pics of the Bajaj Car]

Bajaj will display a Small Concept Car along with Bikes from KTM and Kawasaki..!! Three New 2 wheelers to be launched in 2008

Today I Went to Pragati Maidan, the venue of Auto Expo 2008. I got a Sneek Peek at the stalls being prepared for the 9'th Auto Expo 2008.

Here is the first hand account of what I saw at the Bajaj Pavilion..

Bajaj Pavilion: The Bajaj Pavilion is at hall No. 3. Construction work was still going on while the display bikes which were positioned at their place. I must state here that I did not get to see even one of them completely since all of them had covers on them.

The Bajaj Pavilion has..


# Zone for Bajaj Bikes

# Zone for KTM Bikes

# Zone for Kawasaki Bikes

# Center enclosure for Bajaj 4 Wheeler Display..!!




Three new bikes for 2008..


# A 125 cc XCD Sprint (With 4 valves and disc brakes)

# A Discover 150 DTSi

# 125 cc Scooter called Blade

But I did get a feel as to what to expect from the Bajaj Pavilion. The Bajaj Pavilion has a circular shape and is divided into three zones, each with a different color. The Blue Zone has Bajaj Logo on it, the Orange Zone has KTM Logo on it and the third Zone wich is a mixture of two colors (Black and Red) has Kawasaki Logo on it..!!!

So gentlemen, expect bikes of KTM and Kawasaki bikes to be displayed along with the Bajaj Bikes..!!

Bajaj Zone: The Bajaj Zone had seven bikes on display (under covers)..

KTM Zone: The KTM Zone had five bikes on display and I could peek under on of the covers of one and culd make out that it was a dirt bike. Don't have any idea about the rest of the bikes. Also there were KTM Branded Aparallel (Riding Jackets/Gloves/Duffel Bags/Back Packs/Racing Suits/Riding Jackets) on display.

Kawasaki Zone:The Kawasaki Zone had five bikes on diaplay. Saw the Petal shaped front disc brakes of one which looks like the Ninja 250..!!

Center Zone: The center of the Bajaj Pavilion had a glass enclosure which had a round turn table in it. My best guess is that Bajaj is going to show its 4 Wheeler Concept in it..!!

Here are the first pics of the Bajaj 4 Wheeler Concept (Source Rediff.Com) . More pics of the car and details can be obtained from Rediff.Com.






Bajaj to launch 3 new 2 wheelers in 2008:

There is news that Bajaj is going to launch 3 new 2 wheelers in 2008. These would be..

• A 125 cc XCD DTS-i Sprint (with 4 valves and front disc) for more power



• Discover 150 cc DTS-i.. and



• A 125 cc scooter called Blade

Hopefully these new bikes will be on display in the Bajaj Pavilion.





Disclaimer:

This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.

5 New Bikes in Auto Expo 2008: What to Expect

What new bikes can we expect to see in Auto Expo 2008..??

Just 2 days are left for the 9'th Auto Expo 2008.


Keep the faith on me, for I'll be there this time to cover it..!!

A couple of days back I had received a comment on this blog from an anonymous guy. He said he had scoop of Yamaha's next 150 cc "Power Bike" for India and wanted me to post about his blog on "The Bike Chronicles of India".

I went to the link of his blog and left a comment at his blog stating that as soon as he could show some concrete proof about the bike on his blog (he didn't have any at that time), I would definitely publish about this scoop on his blog.

But today that same blog seems to have been disappeared from the net. In case you are curious, here is the link of that blog (http://yzf-r15.blogspot.com/) which seems to have disappeared.

Actually Yamaha had already announced (a few months back) their intentions of launching a 150 cc (or probably a 165 cc) bike and showing the same in the 2008 Auto Expo.



Lets see what new bikes can we expect to see during the Auto Expo 2008: (Mostly as quoted by newspapers and NOT RUMOURS).

Bajaj: There is no word about what Bajaj might show at the Auto Expo 2008. But quite recently Bajaj did join hands with French Car maker Renault and bike maker KTM. The rest is left to your imagination.



Update: 8'th Jan, 2007 11:00 hrs

My friend Anirban has left a comment on this blog, pointing to a link which carries news about the products that we can expect from Bajaj Auto in Auto Expo 2008. According to the Times of India news article (8'th Jan, 2008)..

"Motorcycle afficionados can expect some stunning bikes from the company, not just as eye candy on its stall but as actual two-wheeled expressions of delight which they could buy from its showrooms later this year.

Apart from conjuring newer and more modern versions of its Pulsars and Avengers, Bajaj will have a spanking new engine it is developing with Austrian bike major KTM to power a range of quarter-litre machines from later this year.

The Pune-based company which leads the battle in the motorcycling space has decided to twist the wrist to the max,with the complete KTM range of on-off dual purpose bikes and also its range of individualistic high performance street bikes which would go on sale in a phased manner.

And just before anyone else could ask the question about Kawasaki, Bajaj will also reveal what Kawasaki large capacity bikes it would make in India from this year on and also the Kawasaki superbikes it would bring in as CBUs! Expect much to be revealed tomorrow on the Bajaj front."




TVS: TVS should definitely show their New Fuel Injected Apache RTR 160 "Fi" & the soon to be launched 125 cc TVS Flame and the Electric Powered Scooty EV. Apart from that there is no official word from them about the Auto Expo.

Yamaha: Yamaha India had said that they plan to launch their 150 cc bike in India by Mid-2008. And the Auto Expo should be the perfect venue to showcase its new bike. and yes, the recently launched R1 & MT-01 should make an appearance in the Auto Expo too.

Suzuki: Not to be left behind, Suzuki India has also said that it plans to launch premium bikes in the Between 125 - 175 cc segment. It also seems that you can expect to see some 500-600 cc bikes from Suzuki, which might make it to India for 5-6 lakhs of rupees.

Honda: Honda (HMSI) plans to unveil a 125 cc scooter and two bikes (One 125 cc and the other 150 cc) during the Auto Expo 2008. One just hopes that the bikes aren't just another clones of he 125 cc shine and the 150 cc Unicorn.

Royal Enfield: Pics of the Royal EnfieldBullet 500 EFi with U.C.E (Unit Construction Engine) has already appeared in foreign websites, therefore it is natural to expect to see these new engines at the Auto Expo 2008.


Hero Honda: Don't have the slightest Idea.

By the way, just 2 days are left the curtains to lift from India's 9'th Auto Expo 2008. Keep the faith on me, for I'll be there this time to cover it.

[P.S: According to that "Anonymous blogger, the new 150 cc Yamaha has a full body fairing.

I do not know for sure whether that is true or not, but I would love to see something like the one posted below.

It is a Digitally Modified Picture of the Yamaha Vixion which is sold in Indonesia taken from this blog]


The Original Yamaha Vixion (Top) and the Digitally Modded Vixion (bottom)

Disclaimer:

This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.