The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Mahindra Group announced yesterday the 'Mahindra NBA Challenge' which is partnership between the two giants to launch a new multi city community based recreational basketball league. The new league for boys and girls of ages 14 and up will tip off in Bangalore, Ludhiana and Mumbai in collaboration with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI.) Mahindra will title this partnership of the new recreational league, which will run for seven weeks annually in two divisions: youth of ages between 14- 17 and for adults (18+). The BFI will work with the NBA to implement and oversee league operations across all markets. The Mahindra NBA Challenge

The reworked previous generation European Fiesta, in the form of the new Ford Figo which was launched in the country just yesterday, will also be exported to South Africa as announced by Mr. Michael Bonehan, Managing Director, Ford India at the launch. Ford Motors has infused an investment of US $ 500 million to double the annual production capacity to 200,000 units at its Chennai manufacturing facility making it a regional centre of for small car engineering and production. This facility will also produce diesel and petrol engines for local market and also will export to the Asia Pacific and Africa region.Related Links:Ford Figo launched, prices unveiled!Ford Figo Review and Test

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt Ltd. (HMSI), today announced its plans to build a second motorcycle production plant to meet increasing demand in the rapidly growing motorcycle market in India. HMSI is in the process of acquiring approximately 240,000 square meters of land within the Tapukara Industrial Area in Rajasthan, which is approximately 40kms from the existing plant. The new plant is scheduled to become operational in the latter half of 2011 with annual production capacity of 600,000 units. Further, HMSI is expanding annual production capacity of its existing plant from the current 1.25 million units to 1.55 million units by the end of this month, with a further expansion

‘Brembo’ the world leader and acknowledged innovator of the brake disc technology for automotive vehicles today unveiled the new brand “BYBRE” in India. The Italian engineered 'Bybre' range is specifically dedicated to the braking systems of motorcycles and scooters under 600 cc and this range will be manufactured at the company’s manufacturing facility at Pune, which was  inaugurated in 2009.  Speaking on the launch of BYBRE in India, Mr. Nicola Frambrosi, Motorcycle Sales Director, Brembo Group said, “Over the past 50 years, Brembo has played an important role in the automotive braking industry. Introduction of Bybre represents a whole category of innovative products

A couple of months back we got our hands on the Ford Figo and returned impressed with Ford India’s new creation. You can read our first impressions here. Today however, we have a new reason to be impressed – not because the small car has finally been launched today, but because we simply love the competitive price tag that the Figo boasts of. Here’s the reason for our smile:1.2-litre Duratec (Petrol)LXI – Rs. 3,49,900EXI  – Rs. 3,81,900ZXI – Rs. 3,99,900Titanium – Rs. 4,42,9001.4-litre Duratorq (Diesel)LXI – Rs. 4,47,900EXI – Rs. 4,72,900ZXI – Rs. 4,96,900Titanium – Rs. 5,29,900The 1.2-litre petrol engine produces 71.35 PS @ 6250 rpm and 102 Nm @ 4000 rpm which

Why should boys have all the fun? That too on women’s day? This might exactly be what Hero Honda intended to do (No offense boys) on this special day dedicated to all women across the globe. You guessed it right, another special edition vehicle from the stable of Hero Honda, but this time, it’s a scooter. Most of the changes are cosmetic in nature. The special edition Pleasure will feature a pearl white body with a splash of red in the rear two third part of the vehicle. A new red muffler cover adds to the list along with a white body color grab rail. Along with new graphics, the scooter also boasts of a new elliptical meter console.“Right from its launch in 2006, Hero Honda Pleasure

Suzuki Motor Corporation now owns 55% stake in Maruti Suzuki, which has triggered speculation about the Japanese firm’s intentions of taking full control on its Indian subsidiary. As per the Indian rules and regulations relating to stake acquisition, a foreign company is allowed to increase its stake unto 5% each year. As such if the foreign company achieves a stake of 55% and beyond then it can make a direct offer for another 20%.Suzuki's website is yet to reflect the revised stake holding of its company and several emails sent to Suzuki by media persons remained unanswered. However, a person close to the company said that "Any change in the stake holding will only come up before the

General Motors India will expand its research and development (R&D) activities in India for which it will be hiring 400 more engineers by the end of this year. "We have plans to hire around 400 engineers in our dedicated technical centre in Bangalore and we would like the R&D facility here to grow," said General Motors, President and Managing Director Karl Slym. "We have plans to design engineering execution, vehicle integration and all these things we are looking out to continue from India," Slym added.The company is in the process of recruiting more engineers to look after every process including transmission, engines, hybrids and controls. Over 700 engineers are already

Production prototype of the Tata Venture, as shown at the 2010 Auto ExpoWe can't stop churning out scoops, can we? Anyway, self-pompousness aside, what you can see here is the production ready version of the Tata Venture flashing its butt in public on the Mumbai-Pune highway. The 71-bhp diesel engine powered van, as you can see, is in the final stages of testing and should be out on sale within the next couple of months. We are expecting a very competitive pricing for the Venture, especially with the instant success of the Maruti Suzuki Eeco. Please post your views regarding the vehicle in the comments box below. Here's the video:   Fore more details on the specs, interiors etc.

Deepa Malik was the Biker Personality of the month in the December 2009 issue of Motoroids 2. The first time we got to have a casual talk with this great woman was not in a formal manner at an office or café, nor was it on the phone. We at Motoroids were lucky enough to witness Mrs. Malik in action at the Durex Ride for Safety. So what’s the big deal? Well, for all those who do not know, Deepa Malik is completely paralyzed below her waist. But this was not a hindrance to her dream of becoming a biker. She very well achieved it in a rather rocking way. She took all the pains she was already suffering and added many more to them not just for the name and fame. She achieved her dream, but

Image Source: MotoGrandPrix.comYes, you read it right! We are talking about the same daredevil Australian who used to exit corners sideways on the lethal MotoGP machines. He was perhaps one of those guys who don't have the words '“give up”' in their dictionary. His racing career however wasn't something that could be called smooth. Although he did not win any championships, he has won races at times when not a single spectator expected him to be on the podium. He was often referred to as “the 'Slide King'” because of his riding style. No one in today’'s line up of racers would try to go sideways the way McCoy used to. The oversteered bike’s burning rubber could set any

Words & Photography: Shreyzee It’s not 365 days a year that you get to see a range of cars and bikes which fall under the luxury as well as the economy class, under a single roof with plenty of flash lights bursting all over the metal covered beasts. It is just in the recent years that various manufacturers realized the potent of the Indian market and that is just the reason why we see our BMWs, Audis, Ferraris, Porsches, Ducatis, Hondas and many more luxury cars and bikes on our crowded Indian streets. ‘Wow!’ is the word that I hear (more often than when my girlfriend says it when she suddenly spots a diamond ring) as I cruise across the various sections of an Auto Show.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) today announced the start of its yearly service campaign 'Suhana Summer' – a service campaign with free check up for all Toyota models – across its dealerships in India. The month-long campaign will be conducted across Toyota's 98 dealerships in the coutry between March 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010. Under this campaign, all Toyota customers will be eligible for a free 30 point check up of their Toyota vehicles and an option to choose from a broad spectrum of service parts packages, which include most of the periodic and general maintenance repair related parts. Speaking on the occasion Mr. Sandeep Singh, Deputy Managing Director, TKM, said,

Bajaj Auto after pausing the production of the Platina, has re- launched the 125cc offspring today in the market. The electric start version has been priced at Rs. 36, 646 (ex- showroom Delhi) and comes with a modified powertrain unit and donning few cosmetic changes. The 125cc is housed with a 5- speed gearbox and the engines is believed to produce 8.5PS of max power at 7000 rpm and 10NM of max torque at 4000 rpm. The earlier Platina came with a 4- speed gearbox and developed 9.5 PS of max power and 10.85 Nm of max torque. This seems the company has tuned down the bike in order to churn out more mileage. Bajaj has also managed to shed 3kg's from the new Platina with the kerb weight

German manufacturer BMW has announced that an official manufacturer supported team will be contesting the Superbike and Senior Isle of Man TT Races in 2010; further increasing the number of manufacturers participating in this year’s event. It was only 12 months ago that the Bavarian giant entered the World Superbike Championship for the first time but now, fresh from a stunning fifth place at last year’s Macau Grand Prix, German ace Rico Penzkofer will have a full Superbike- spec machine at his disposal for the two six-lap TT races. An official test rider for BMW, 34- year old Penzkofer has been part of the major development team of the S1000RR, a bike that has created

Karun Chandok has just been confirmed as the official driver for the Hispanic Racing F1 Team (HRT) formerly known as Campos Racing in Spain for the 2010 F1 season! He will now partner with Bruno Senna, with whom Karun had already shared the team space in the 2008 GP2 season. Chandhok will be presented to the public at the Murcia unveiling, which is set to confirm the team's new identity and its plans for 2010.  Colin Kolles, HRT's team principal, said: "I am very pleased to use the Murcia site to officially unveil our car livery today. We also complete the driver's team line-up with the Indian Karun Chandhok at the wheel of the car for our first ever

Castrol Brand Ambassador John Abraham and ace footballer Baichung Bhutia today unveiled Castrol’s exciting plans to provide football fans a unique money can’t buy experience at the forthcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa. John Abraham will be going to the FIFA World Cup™, as will 29 lucky winners of Castrol 2010 FIFA World Cup promotion, which is ongoing from 1st February – 15th April 2010. Besides getting to see one of the 2010 FIFA World Cup matches, the winners will also get to experience South Africa and interact with some of Castrol’s global brand ambassadors.  This is the largest ever consumer promotion by Castrol India in its 100 year history. Besides

On March 1, American freestyle motorcrosser Seth Enslow, along with his modified Harley-Davidson XR 1200 entered the record books. He punched in the longest jump on a motorcycle: 183.7 feet, shattering the previous 157 foot leap made by Bubba Blackwell.And he did that twice in an a durtaion of one hour! Seth Enslow was sue to attempt the record at 09:30 am but instead took off at 08:45 am flying at 175 feet on his XR 1200. But at that time only a third of media was present and Seth was forced to repeat the jump near Australia's Sydney Harbour. Second time around he lengthened his lead by a further 8.7 feet (2.6m) - sailing through the air for 183.7ft (56m) to shatter the previous

The cellphone app industry in probably one of the fastest growing markets this side of the 21st century. One new addition to the ever increasing list of such apps is 'Cell Cease' - a program that promises to reduce the probability of accidents in a unique way! The application uses the cell phone's inbuilt GPS receiver to judge whether the cell phone is in constant motion or not. If it detects a motion of over 5 mph (approximately 8 km/h), the app disables all the common functionality that kids general tend to use behind the wheel - texting, calling etc. thus making it imperative for the driver to focus on the road. As per the information we have, it doesn't disable the music player in the

(L-R) Mr. Debashish Mitra, Director of Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz India along with Mr. S Sivakumar, Managing Director, Rajasree Motors Pvt. Ltd. at the unveiling of “Pure Fascination” in Kochi Mercedes-Benz today set off a high-octane start to the year for the South Indian luxury car market by bringing the “Pure Fascination” to Kochi. This theme was highlighted during its participation at the Auto Expo 2010 reflected the company’s strategy in the near future for Indian market. On display, were the seven models launched by the company since Janaury, 2010. The new S- Class was also unveiled for the first time while the M-Class, E-Class & GL-Class models made its

The small car from Ford which was showcased at the Auto Expo held in New Delhi this year, is all set to be launched officially in the country on the 9th of March, 2010. Michael Boneham, president and MD of Ford India, and Joe Hinrichs, group VP, Ford Motor Company would be gracing the occasion at Hotel Taj Palace in New Delhi.The five door hatchback will don a 1.2 litre Rocam engine(Duratec) or 1.4 litre diesel engine (Duratorq) and will come in four variants common to both the petrol and diesel options - Base (LXI), Mid (EXI), Upper-Mid (SXI) and a high end variant called the Platinum. Figo will be available in seven colours - Diamond white, Panther Black, Moondust Silver, Chille, Sea

Chennai born Karun Chandok who was once titled "The most promising Asian", is all set to make his F1 dream come true. For Karun, the racing blood runs in the family with his father the legendary Vicky Chandok and grandfather  Indu Chandok, both being ace drivers of their times. And now, Karun is carrying the family's racing heritage forward.Karun started racing in 2000 and ultimately joined GP2 in 2007 where he did quite well to let the whole world and especially the F1 teams know his standard of driving. He was presented with the ‘Best Driving Style’ award in 2008. But the last season (2009) wasn’t too great for him. So Karun is all set to make a comeback to racing and this

The world’s cheapest car is now on its venture to become the world’s cheapest and greenest car. The Electric version of the Tata Nano was revealed by Tata Motors at the Geneva Motor Show. Cosmetically, the Nano EV will carry the skin of the regular Nano. But within the skin will be an electrically driven heart that can easily accelerate from stand still to 100 kmph in just 10 seconds. The battery run motor when fully charged can commute an entire range of about 160 km.Present at the launch were Mr. Ravi Kant (Vice Chairman), Prakash Telang (Managing Director – India Operations) and Carl-Peter Forster (Group CEO). Mr. Ravi Kant stated, ‘Electrification will be an integral part of our

A photograph by Bharat SikkaOn the weekend of March 13th and14th, Wieden + Kennedy Exp, the leading advertising agency in Delhi will host a two-day exhibition that celebrates 'The Art of Motorcycling'. Motorcycle exhibits will range from the brand new Classic 500 to an exotic variety of customized Enfields from all over India. Art exhibits will include photography by renowned fine arts photographer Bharat Sikka, and digital art by the Indian art world’s rising star, Prasad Raghavan. Prints of their work will be available for purchase, as will a beautifully styled range of limited edition T-shirts, created especially for the occasion.An artwork created by Prasad

Riding high on the success of the popular Chevrolet brand, General Motors India has registered a record growth of 126 % in sales in February 2010, compared to the corresponding period last year. It sold 11,111 units in February 2010 against 4,921 units in February last year recording an all time high in monthly sales.  This is the first time that the company has crossed ten thousand units sales in a month since the inception of the company in India in 1996.  The Febuary 2010 sales comprise of 4431 units of Chevrolet Beat, 3412 units of Chevrolet Spark, 1592 units of Chevrolet Tavera, 726 units of Chevrolet Cruze, 420 units of Aveo, 411 units of Aveo U-VA, 98 units of Chevrolet

BMW India, who recently launched the limited edition of the new Gran Turismo at the Auto Expo this year in New Delhi, has already hit the sales figure of 80 units till date. The company's target is set on selling 100 units of such kind in the country which means only 20 more units remain up for grabs! The BMW Gran Turismo housed with a 3.0 diesel engine is priced at Rs. 6,300,000 and is available as a Completely Built-up unit (CBU). On the occasion, Mr. Peter  Kronschnabl, President, BMW India said, 'The BMW Gran Turismo is a completely new vehicle concept, adding a unique and distinctive model variant to BMW’s product line-up. The BMW Gran Turismo combines the benefits of a

Just a week ago, Maruti Suzuki was in news, following a recall of over one lakh A- stars to replace the fautly fuel gaskets and O- rings. And even in this dissappointing time, Maruti Suzuki is all set to get the new face lifted version of the Wagon R, which is slated to take its first public bow in April, 2010 and phase out the existing one. This revamped version will be housed with the new K- series, 1 litre engine which will be in lines with the Bharat Stage IV emission norms. The hatchback will also don new headlights with pilot light and two fog lamps. The new Wagon will come along with a price tag of Rs. 3.3 lakh.Related Links:Union Budget 2010 - Impact on the Automobile

The Union Budget announced by the Finance Minister, is all set to have a direct impact on the automotive sector of the country. Buying and maintaining a car or bike is going to be costly with a hike of 2% in the Excise Duty which has already led to an immediate and corresponding increase in the prices of automobiles and component.  Running cost of bikes and cars too will get dearer with the suggested increase in Excise Duty on petrol and Diesel.The Excise Duty on small cars now stands at 10% while on big cars, Mutli Utility Vehicles (MUV's) and SUV's the duty has bumped to 22%. The duty on Electric Vehicle makers stands at 4%. Adding to that, the Excise Duty will also cut their share

The newest generation of the Porsche Cayenne is all set to make its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show soon in March. The new-generation Cayenne S Hybrid comes with a technically advanced and sophisticated parallel full hybrid drive. The car also boasts of a fuel efficiency figure of just 8.2 liters/100 kilometers which is equivalent to 34.4 mpg. The car is yet more efficient with CO2 emissions of just 193 g/km which makes the car perform like an eight-cylinder with the fuel economy of a six-cylinder machine. The car also features the new Tiptronic S eight-speed automatic transmission with Auto Start Stop and a widespread of gear ratios, thermal management on the engine and transmission

Iconic Austrian manufacturer KTM, are set to debut at the Isle of Man TT Races with Redline Motorcycles who will be  entering one of the flagship KTM RC8R Superbike machines in the Superbike, Superstock and Senior TT Races. The man given the task of riding the bright orange bike will be Loughborough’s James Edmeades. The 26-year old is no stranger to the TT having ridden in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 events. The former Virgin R6 Cup rider narrowly missed out on his first 120mph lap in 2007 and has already picked up two bronze replicas from his nine races whilst he also took a strong fifth in last season’s RC8 Super Cup Championship.  In addition to the TT outing, Edmeades