Bajaj has re-launched the popular Chetak scooter after many years and in an all new electric avatar. Priced competitively at Rs 1 lakh (ex-showroom), Bajaj has introduced the Chetak electric in two variants -- Urbane and Premium. The Premium model costs Rs 15,000 more and it will be sold alongside KTM. Customers are also offered the convenience of booking the Chetak on their official website as well. Deliveries for the Premium variant may begin from the end of April 2020 while the Urbane variant will commence by May 2020. The catch here though is that as of now, the Chetak is

available in Pune and Bengaluru only.

While there are other players in the electric scooter market, the Chetak stands apart in terms of build since it uses metal bodywork instead of fibre. It gets all things modern like LED lighting and a digital instrument console that displays many important things like vehicle speed, range and battery level and an IP67 rating. Also, the Chetak gets keyless ignition!

Speaking of performance, the Chetak is powered by a 4kW 16 Nm electric motor with 2 riding modes: Eco and Sport. It is a smart system as the Chetak’s Integrated charging unit senses throttle position continuously. As a result, twisting the throttle more than 85% will result in the mode switching automatically from Eco to Sport. Bajaj claims the Chetak will offer a real-world range of 95km in Eco mode and 85km in Sport mode. You might be surprised to know that the Chetak also gets a reverse mode. It is also claimed that the electric scooter can do 25 kms after one hour of charge while a 3.5 hour charge will charge the batteries all the way to 80%. 100% charge from no charge could be achieved in 5 hours.

But, Bajaj claims the top speed of the Chetak to be limited to 60 kmph which in our books is low. Top speed has been compromised in the interest of higher range and it could be the perfect speed for tight city commutes. But, what if you happen to hit the highway or a fast main road? Things could get a bit scary.

Speaking of handling and braking- the Chetak gets front trailing link suspension and 12-inch alloy wheels fitted with MRF Zapper tyres. A disc brake in the front and drum brake at the rear should provide a lot of stopping power. Bajaj claims the regenerative braking feature can add 2.8 metre of range every time a rider goes from 60-0kmph.

There is no provision for fast charging but Bajaj does include home charging port for free which will be fixed at your place of residence by a technician. It would be interesting to see how the Chetak performs against its competition- the Ather 450, TVS iQube and 22Kymco iFlow.

 

Tata Motors, India’s leading automotive brand, today commenced the bookings of the ALTROZ DCA – The Dual Clutch Automatic version of India’s premium and safest hatchback. The Altroz DCA is an advanced Dual Clutch Technology that is designed for the Indian consumer. It comes with a wet clutch transmission, which ensures the best performance for all Indian driving conditions. The new ALTROZ DCA will set the Gold Standard in the world of automatics and offer a seamless drive experience to customers. Starting today, customers can book their ALTROZ DCA at all the authorized Tata Motors dealerships at just INR 21,000

with deliveries starting from mid March’22.

 

   

The ALTROZ DCA will be introduced in a brand new colour – the New Opera Blue and will be available in the top three variants - XT, XZ and XZ+ of 1.2L Revotron petrol engine. In addition to the new Opera Blue, the ALTROZ DCA would also be part of the #Dark range other than being available in Downtown Red, Arcade Grey, Avenue White and Harbour Blue colour.

Commenting on this much awaited product, Mr. Rajan Amba, Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Customer Care, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd. said, “India’s safest hatchback, the ALTROZ, has carved a niche for itself in the premium hatch segment with more than 1.25 lakh happy customers. Taking our success story further, we wanted to delight our customers by introducing a world-class automatic transmission to the line-up in the form of the ALTROZ DCA. We are confident that the ALTROZ DCA will set ‘Gold Standard’ in automatics and will match the evolving preference of our customers. Our customers can visit their nearest Tata Motors dealerships to know more about the product and book the all-new ALTROZ DCA. I am confident that the ALTROZ DCA, when launched, will instantaneously witness an overwhelming response and help us expand our customer base.”

Since its launch in January 2020, the ALTROZ has received an overwhelming response and is appreciated by the customers for its laser-cut design, best-in-class safety, and exhilarating performance. Being the first vehicle on the ALFA (Agile Light Flexible Advanced) architecture, the ALTROZ has always set #TheGoldStandard in the premium hatchback segment. Altroz comes with many premium features such as leatherette seats, 7”touchscreen infotainment by Harman, rear ac vents, cruise control, auto headlamps, iRA connected car technology and many more.

Renault India has launched their new Kiger compact SUV. The new Kiger is based on the CMF-A+ platform which is also shared with the Nissan Magnite. The Kiger offers two petrol engines with both, manual and automatic gearbox options. This is the first compact SUV from Renault to go on sale.

Exterior:

    The new Renault Kiger features a familiar design language previously seen on the Kwid. It features a coupe-like design with a muscular stance. The grille and headlights have been significantly upgraded compared to the Kwid though. The grille is larger and gets more Chrome treatment, similar to the Triber and

is flanked by LED DRLs which also include the indicators. The actual headlamps are located lower down in the bumper and the top spec variant get Pure Vision LED headlamps. While all variants get 16” wheels as standard, the higher variants get alloy wheels. The rear features C shaped LED tail lamps and a very sculpted tailgate. The higher variants also get silver finished rear skid plate. The sides feature black decals that look like body claddings and even the higher variants don't get Chrome door handles.

Interior:

    The interior of the Kiger gets a traditional, yet stylish layout. The higher Variants get an 8” touchscreen floating at the centre on top of the dash with a high centre console that also includes a large storage compartment under the armrest which can be closed by a Tambour-door sliding lid, as seen on the Tata Nexon. The top Variants get a 7” TFT instrument cluster along with two gloveboxes. The Climate control console, window and mirror controls, starter button, gear lever and the steering wheel are shared with the Nissan Magnite. The door pads are vastly different compared to the Magnite while the glovebox design is identical to the one seen on the Triber.

The Kiger also claims to have segment-besting 405L boot space as standard.

The top spec RXZ Variant will get the following features:

• LED headlights and DRLs

• 16” dual tone alloys

• Functional roof rails

• Rear wiper & washer

• Smart key access

• Push button start

• Power windows (Auto up/down for driver)

• Auto fold ORVMs

• Height adjustable driver seat

• 8” touchscreen system

• Steering mounted audio controls

• Wireless Android auto & Apple carplay

• Reverse camera

• Auto climate control

• Rear AC vents

• Interior ambient lighting

• 7” TFT instrument cluster

• Twin gloveboxes

• Cooled lower glovebox

• Front and rear armrests

• Rear adjustable headrests

• 60:40 split-folding rear seat

The RXZ variant also gets 3 drive modes as standard including Normal, Economy and Sport modes.

Safety features:

      Standard safety features on the Kiger include:

• 2 airbags

• ABS with EBD

• Pretensioner seatbelt for driver

• Engine immobilizer

• Reverse sensors

      The top spec RXZ offers the following safety features:

• 4 Airbags

• Smart key access

• Rear adjustable headrests

• Rear wiper and washer

• Reverse camera

While the Nissan Magnite offered ESP, traction control, hill hold assist and brake assist as standard on all turbocharged Variants, none of the Variants of the Kiger offer those safety features.

Variants:

      The Renault Kiger will be available in 4 Variants:

• RXE

• RXL

• RXT

• RXZ

Powertrains:

       The Kiger will be offered with two petrol engine options. Both 1.0L engines are the same as seen on the Nissan Magnite. The naturally aspirated engine will produce 72PS of Max Power and 96NM of Max torque through a 5 speed Manual gearbox. Unlike the Magnite, the Kiger also offered a 5 speed AMT gearbox with this engine as an option from the RXL Variant onwards.

The turbocharged engine produces 100PS of Max Power and 160NM of Max torque with the manual transmission while the CVT Variants produce 152NM of Max torque. The base RXE Variant is not ava with the turbocharged engine option and only the RXT and RXZ turbo Variants get the option of a CVT.

Launch & price:

        The Renault Kiger is expected to give tough competition to all other compact SUVs while also lasting the success streak of Renault from the launch of the Triber. The Kiger is priced neck-to-neck with the Nissan Magnite, starting from Rs.5.45L (ex-showroom) for the RXE and going up to Rs.9.55L (ex-showroom) for the top spec RXZ Turbo CVT Variant. This pricing makes the RXE Renault Kiger the most affordable compact SUV in the Indian Market today.

Stay tuned for our detailed reviews and updates.