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Skoda Octavia gets new 1.5-litre hybrid powertrain abroad

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Skoda has added a new 1.5-litre hybrid powertrain to the Octavia, allowing it to run on electric power alone for short periods without being plugged in. It combines a 1.5-litre petrol engine with two electric motors and a 1.6kWh battery, which is charged through braking or by the petrol engine when required. It is offered with 136hp and 170hp system outputs.  from Autocar India https://ift.tt/KQ56pSq

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Mercedes-Maybach S-Class: What Rs 1.15 crore extra brings over standard model

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A few months after introducing the 2026 S-Class facelift, Mercedes has launched its more luxurious Maybach counterpart . Priced at Rs 3.35 crore, the Maybach S-Class commands a premium of Rs 1.15 crore over the standard model. But apart from the Maybach badge, what exactly does it offer for the extra money? Here is everything you need to know. Note: LHD models used for representation Mercedes-Maybach S-Class vs Regular S-Class: Exterior   Unlike the standard S-Class, which features two exterior designs across variants, the Maybach S-Class gets a uniform exterior design throughout. The Maybach builds on the standard S-Class design, turning up the luxury quotient. At the front, it sports a Maybach-specific grille with fine vertical chrome slats and Maybach lettering at the top. The regular S-Class, by contrast, features horizontal chrome slats paired with a pattern of tri-star motifs.   Lower down, the standard S-Class's air intake details are replaced on the Maybach by a f...

Volkswagen Group considers selling Ducati

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It’s no secret that Volkswagen Group, the German behemoth that owns brands such as Audi, Bugatti and Lamborghini, is in financial trouble. Facing fierce competition from Chinese firms, the group already announced plans to lay off 50,000 employees in Germany alone by 2030, and the fate of several factories across the world has also become uncertain. We also received reports of the Volkswagen Group considering a simplified variant line-up for cars across its brands. It now appears the two-wheeler business will be impacted too. Ducati is one of the Volkswagen Group brands being evaluated for a possible sale In 2025, it reported EUR 925 million revenue and EUR 52 million operating profit Patritalia, another Italian company, had already made an offer for Ducati and MV Agusta Ducati sale is under evaluation, but no decisions have been made yet This isn’t the first time Ducati is being evaluated for sale Claudio Domenicali, CEO of the Borgo Panigale manufacturer, confirmed that the parent gr...

2026 Mercedes-Maybach S-Class facelift walkaround video

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from Autocar India https://ift.tt/RbkoyiH

Ashutosh Dixit on Porsche Cayenne Electric launch, India-EU FTA impact and more

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from Autocar India https://ift.tt/AX1NvZR

Quick News video: October 4, 2026

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from Autocar India https://ift.tt/PgEqVDI

3 reasons to buy Skoda Slavia facelift and 2 reasons not to

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The mid-size sedan segment has been witnessing a resurgence. Things have spruced up with facelifts introduced for the Hyundai Verna and Honda City, and Skoda has also joined the bandwagon by giving the Slavia a facelift of its own. This is the first major mid-life update for the sedan since it was launched in 2022 and brings comprehensive updates throughout. If you’re looking to buy the Skoda Slavia facelift, our list of reasons helps you decide if it's worth the wait or if it’s better to look elsewhere. Powerful and zippy engines      The Slavia facelift continues to offer the same 115hp/178Nm 1.0-litre 3-cylinder and 150hp/250Nm 1.5-litre 4-cylinder direct-injection turbo-petrol engines as its pre-facelift version. And it’s not a bad thing because both engines have enough pep. The talking point is the introduction of a new 8-speed torque converter automatic for the 1.0-litre engine, which replaces the older 6-speed unit. Shifts are smooth across gears, and manual mode ...

Bajaj Chetak C2501 Real World Range Tested and Explained

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The C2501 is the affordable electric scooter from Chetak, priced at Rs.1.05 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai, before subsidies). It gets two riding modes: Eco and Sport, and these modes are tuned for extracting maximum range rather than performance. Eco mode can get up to an indicated speed of 45kph, while the Sport mode can get up to an indicated speed of 60kph. The mode change can be made on the go using the D button. In Sport mode, the scooter covered 86.5km It has an efficiency of 34.6km/kWh The 750W charger tops up the flat battery in 3 hours Chetak C2501 Real World Riding Range For us, the performance in Eco mode felt like it was mainly tuned for crowded, narrow back roads or in stop-go traffic, so we decided to conduct our range test in the Sport mode. We started the test with a fully charged battery and made our way through our testing loop within the streets of South Mumbai. With 100 percent, the range indicator was showing a range of 112km in Sport mode. During the test, we made sur...

What to expect from Mercedes-Maybach S-Class ahead of launch tomorrow

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Mercedes-Benz will launch the updated Maybach S-Class in India on October 5. The facelift brings styling and technology updates, along with more personalization options and changes to the powertrain range. With the launch just around the corner, here’s everything you need to know about the new Maybach S-Class. What exterior changes does the new Maybach S-Class get over the S-Class? The Maybach S-Class gets the larger illuminated grille seen on the updated S-Class, but with Maybach-specific vertical slats and an illuminated ‘Maybach’ wordmark above them. It also gets an illuminated Mercedes star on the bonnet, LED headlights with three-pointed-star DRLs and rose gold embellishments featuring the Maybach logo instead of the techie blue accents on the standard S-Class. There are also tiny Maybach logos in the lower air-dam mesh, an illuminated Maybach logo on the D-pillar and the same three-pointed-star LED signature for the tail-lamps as the standard S-Class. The Maybach is 180mm longe...

Skoda Kylaq Pune to Prague Leg 2: Prague calling

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In the previous issue (August 2026), you saw the Skoda Kylaq take on the familiarity of India, the hills and traditions of Nepal, and the variety of China through Tibet’s gorgeous but bone-shaking terrain, followed by the sensory overload of food and culture. Now, it was time for a fresh experience through Central Asia on the ancient Silk Route, subsequently entering Europe towards our final destination. Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan – Kazakhstan  Kyrgyzstan The Kylaq had everyone turning heads. Crossing the Chinese border into Kyrgyzstan was like crossing into a different world. The differences are immediate, right from the signage, fonts and faces to the sights, terrain and traffic. Being a landlocked country peppered with alpine mountains, one doesn’t need to go far to experience what Kyrgyzstan has to offer. As you drive through the ribbon of tarmac between the peaks, you realise why it is called the “Switzerland of Asia”. A roughly 400km drive to our first halt in Naryn was smoot...