VR Tech Times

Sergio Perez has cut Max Verstappen’s F1 championship lead after winning the Sprint Race as well as Sunday’s Azerbaijan GP on the streets of Baku. Polesitter Charles Leclerc finished third, scoring his first podium this season. Perez wins, 2.137 secs ahead of Verstappen Scores 33 out of a possible 34 points at Baku Leclerc completes podium Safety car helps Perez defeat Verstappen Leclerc initially held on to the lead at the start, but it was only a matter of time before Verstappen used DRS to breeze past him. Perez followed suit, making it a Red Bull 1-2 out at front. The defining point of the race came when Nyck de Vries clipped the wall on Lap 11, bringing out the yellow flags. Red Bull decided to pit Verstappen for fresh tyres, only for the Safety Car to be deployed moments later. This ended up benefitting drivers like Perez and Leclerc, who emerged ahead of Verstappen after taking their own pit stops. Once racing resumed, Verstappen quickly cleared Lecerc to move up to se...

Both Hero MotoSports riders completed the 2023 Sonora Rally in the top 10 in what was the Indian team’s first outing in the North American continent. Competing in the premier Rally GP class, Ross Branch finished seventh overall, while Sebastian Buhler was 10th. Daniel Sanders wins 2023 Sonora Rally Hero will next compete in Argentina this August Branch seventh in 2023 Sonora Rally The Sonora Rally, spanning five stages across the Sonoran Desert, is known for its Dakar-style stages. Covering nearly 2,300km, the rally featured a mix of terrain ranging from soft dunes, beaches, river beds to fast tracks. This was both Hero MotoSports riders’ first time competing in North America, so they were faced with the added challenge of familiarising themselves with the new terrain. Fresh off a strong fifth place result in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge , Branch delivered another consistent performance, finishing in the top 10 in all stages barring one. He crossed the finish line seventh in ...

By BY KENNETH CHANG from NYT Science https://ift.tt/cePuXoL

I love the look of the Royal Enfield Interceptor and Continental GT 650 with the spoked rims, but I would really like to avoid the hassle of dealing with tubed tyres. Please help me decide whether I should go for the looks or the practicality. Rohan Das, via email One of the consistent drawbacks with the Royal Enfield 650 twins since the 2018 launch was that you had to live with tubed tyres. After a much longer wait than expected, Royal Enfield has finally decided to offer both the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 with alloy wheels that support tubeless tyres. This is wonderful news, but many people seem to find that the retro charm of the 650 twins is lost with the look of the alloy wheels. This leaves you with two options if you want a 650 twin but also want the peace of mind that comes with tubeless tyres. The first is to deal with the looks and go for the alloy wheels. This is definitely the more reliable of your two options. The alternative is to go for some sort of an ...

Royal Enfield is undoubtedly one of the busiest motorcycle manufacturers out there and as we’d reported earlier, there are a slew of motorcycles that the company is readying for launch in the coming months. A number of test mules of these upcoming Royal Enfield bikes have been spotted occasionally, giving us a peek into what’s in store.  From a 350cc bike based on the successful J-platform to another addition to the company’s 650cc platform and the much anticipated all-new Himalayan with a liquid-cooled engine (a first for an RE) there’s a lot to look forward to if you are an RE fan. Read on to find out more details.  Royal Enfield Bullet 350 with J-platform engine The Royal Enfield Bullet 350 holds the record for the longest continuous two-wheeler model in production, ever since its inception in 1948. In its current incarnation, the stalwart of RE’s range remains the only model in its 350cc lineup to feature the older, more utilitarian UCE engine, while its contemporari...

Race Competition – it’s in the name itself. Ever since its introduction, KTM’s RC line of sportbikes has been synonymous with racing. With its high-strung single-cylinder engine, race-y ergonomics and host of electronic rider aids, the RC 390 is the go-to if you want affordable, explosive performance for the track. With an aim to cultivate racing talent in the country and give the best a chance to train with renowned experts abroad, KTM launched the inaugural RC Cup in India. And alongside the final qualifier round, which saw 80 riders from eight different cities take part, it was kind enough to invite us media folk to experience what it’s like to take part in a one-make racing series. The day before the race weekend at the Madras International Circuit gave me a chance to get familiar with my competition, and as expected, many of them were far more experienced than I was. The pressure was on then. Our first day on the track gave me a chance to get comfortable with the new RC 390. ...

By BY BENJAMIN MUELLER from NYT Science https://ift.tt/Xtgcqxl

By BY DENNIS OVERBYE from NYT Science https://ift.tt/bxXdj1m

On the 16th of February, there was an article in The Economist titled “Throughout the rich world, the young are falling out of love with cars.” It discussed the trend of younger people not opting for driving licences but for public transport and cycling, city councils reducing parking spaces, podcasts encouraging people to shun the individual motorcar and changing road plans to favour pedestrians over drivers! Certain rich countries have been witnessing a growing anti-car movement, dovetailing very well with environmentalists. Would this ever happen in India, I asked myself? Will the rich and upper middle-class youth not be enamoured with a new set of wheels anymore? Will they be taking the DTC or BEST bus around town or their Firefox or B-twin bicycle? That would be a frightening thought for sure. What will automakers do? What about the new SUVs they are planning? Or the upgrades with bigger screens and wider sunroofs? Will kids everywhere hold their breath and say, “No zero emissio...

I have been saving up to buy a KTM 390 Duke for some time now but I am seeing that the new model is going to be launched soon. Should I wait or go ahead? Amit Arora, via email Autocar India says: The new-gen 390 Duke is quite likely to carry a price hike over the existing one because that is just the way things go. Moreover, you might even be able to get a deal on the old model closer to the new bike’s launch date in the coming months. However, this new model will have the biggest changes since the 390 first came out 10 years back and that includes a new engine and chassis. With that in mind, there is a possibility that this will be a significantly nicer motorcycle to ride, not just in terms of performance but also usability and practicality. That’s primarily why we’d advise waiting for the new one. However, given the recent spy images , it looks like KTM might be going down a polarising path with the design, as it has done with the new RC 390. The decision between the two may co...

Of late, there’s been an influx of Chinese-owned brands in India that have been garnering plenty of attention. The latest in this line is QJMotor , which has entered our market with four models. The most powerful and expensive of the lot is the SRK400 street naked, and we’ve now spent a few days riding it. QJMotor SRK 400: Engine and performance What is sure to be a big draw for potential buyers is the SRK400’s engine. As the name denotes, it’s a 400cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin that puts out respectable figures of 40.9hp and 37Nm. And they won’t want it just for the specifications, as it also has a very sweet exhaust note, just like the Benelli twins it is based on. Display is too small and basic for a Rs 4 lakh bike. Performance is good too, as the SRK does 0-100kph in 5.86s, which is just 0.01s slower than the new KTM RC 390 we recently tested. As for in-gear acceleration, the QJ betters the KTM’s time in the 20-50kph and 50-80kph runs, but the latter is quicker in the 30...

This week on All Things Nintendo, Brian shares his experience of and thoughts after getting his hands on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Outside of that in-depth discussion of Brian's time with the game, he and Wesley also get caught up on all the latest news, do a Definitive Ranking talking about the games they've been the most hyped for in their lifetimes, and talk about an eShop Gem of the Week that launched this very week. If you'd like to follow Brian on social media, you can do so on his Instagram:  @BrianPShea . You can follow Wesley on Twitter:  @LeBlancWes . The All Things Nintendo podcast is a weekly show where we can celebrate, discuss, and break down all the latest games, news, and announcements from the industry's most recognizable name. Each week, Brian is joined by different guests to talk about what's happening in the world of Nintendo. Along the way, they'll share personal stories, uncover hidden gems in the eShop, and even look ba...

EV owners are obsessed with range and instinctively keep one eye on the SOC indicator when they are driving. I too became a member of the range anxiety club when the Nexon EV Max joined our fleet, but to be honest, any range pangs I had disappeared within the first two weeks of going fully electric. In fact, I’ve stopped worrying about range altogether because even with 20 percent charge left, I know I can get to a charger without running the battery precariously down to single digits. And I don’t need to look at the SOC indicator to know that I’ve dropped below 20 percent because the software automatically cuts power and switches to ‘Eco’ mode, which is a sign that it’s time to top up. Small battery charges quite quickly Charging the Nexon EV Max has been absolutely stress free. I’ve plugged in at home and at office, and have never found the need to go to a public DC fast charger because the rightly sized 40.5kWh battery doesn’t take ages to recharge even though the AC charging s...

Volkswagen India has been testing the ID 4 for the better part of a year now. However, it's launch is yet to be greenlit by Volkswagen’s global headquarters, and this is likely to be confirmed by May. Volkswagen ID 4 was first spotted testing in August 2022 Has been under evaluation for India since 2020 Speaking to Autocar India at the annual brand conference in Kochi, Ashish Gupta, brand director at Volkswagen India, said “it’s a matter of when and not if” the ID 4 will come to India. He mentioned that “the ID 4 is a product which is available globally and its platform is ready.” Gupta added that testing and validation of EVs in India takes time. Volkswagen ID 4 evaluation for India We had reported in 2020 that Volkswagen is evaluating launching the ID 4 in 2022. However, due to COVID-19-related supply issues and the new battery safety norms in India, the launch timelines for the electric crossover have been long drawn out. The EV has since been spotted testing in Indi...

With its 120th birthday approaching fast, Harley-Davidson has shown two new CVO models, the Street Glide and the Road Glide. These bikes feature new styling, and more importantly, a new 121 CI (1,982cc) V-Twin engine, complete with VVT. 2023 Harley-Davidson CVO models details The CVO range includes the most premium, expensive and almost always, the largest bikes Harley-Davidson makes. This is especially true in the case of the 2023 CVO Street and Road Glide models, which feature a near 2-litre V-Twin engine, equipped with Variable Valve Timing (VVT). While we don't have any official claimed horsepower or torque figures yet, it is safe to say they will be more than the 93hp and 158Nm churned out by the 114 CI (1,868cc) V-Twin found on the current Softail and Touring range of bikes in India. The CVO Glides also feature very different front fairings than the ‘regular’ versions and will also have a USD fork along with radially-mounted Brembo calipers at the front. Harley has also...

By BY CARL ZIMMER from NYT Science https://ift.tt/SoeYxq1

As we had reported earlier, the Royal Enfield 350cc family tree is set to expand with the arrival of a 350cc single-seat bobber , based on the Chennai-based marque’s hugely successful Classic 350 . This bike has now been spied and it looks very similar to the design sketches previewed earlier. Blacked-out engine seen on the bobber Similiar underpinnings as the Classic 350 Royal Enfield 350cc bobber: what can be seen Since the RE 350cc bobber is based on the Classic 350, the overall bodywork is quite similar, which really is no bad thing, considering the clean, retro lines of the Classic. Where it very obviously differs is the single-seat configuration, true to its bobber style. On this test mule, however, there are passenger foot pegs present, so it remains to be seen whether the bike is a strict single-seater or one that can be optioned with provisions to carry a pillion. Another visual element that’s scarcely seen on bikes made in this century are whitewall tyres, which suit...

Most cars today are fairly easy to wrap your head around, but not the MG Comet; it’s a bit more complex. Sure, you could draw lots of comparisons – it’s an urban electric hatchback like a Tiago EV, it’s boxy, tall and upright like a Wagon R, and thanks to its born-electric platform, it’s more spacious than its size would suggest, like a Hyundai Ioniq 5. Despite all these points of reference though, having driven it, it still feels like nothing else, and that is exactly what MG wants. It wants the Comet to be disruptive, banking on its unconventional looks and very specific set of talents to woo a wholly different kind of buyer than anything else currently on sale. It’s a big gamble, by the brand’s own admission, but could it just be crazy enough to work? MG Comet colours and exterior design The MG Comet is unabashedly a cube. Its born-electric skateboard platform allows it to ditch a conventional two-box hatchback shape for a monovolume one; imagine chopping off the engine bay ...

Maruti Suzuki has confirmed that it will introduce an all-new premium MPV in the Indian market. This new model will be based on the Toyota Innova Hycross and will go on sale by July this year.  We had reported about this development back in October 2022 . New Maruti MPV will come with two powertrain options Will be Maruti’s most expensive product Maruti premium MPV: what will it be like This new MPV from Maruti, as reported above, will technically be a sister product to the already popular Innova Hycross and will be built and supplied by Toyota, just like the Grand Vitara which is also built by Toyota at its Bidadi plant and supplied to Maruti Suzuki. Last year, In a regulatory filing, Toyota had said it is preparing for the launch of a C-MPV in the financial year 2022-2023, which will also be shared with its alliance partner Maruti Suzuki. This MPV is likely to be the Innova Hycross.  At its last earnings call, Maruti Suzuki management, confirmed this development,...

April 2023 saw some really exciting new car launches – from the Maruti Suzuki Fronx to the MG Comet EV and the 2023 Lexus RX . The months ahead are set to see a lot more action from several carmakers with plenty of global unveilings and price announcements lined up. Maruti has the all-new Jimny launching next, Tata Motors will further populate its CNG line-up with two new models, and we'll get some long-due facelifts as well. So, here’s a rundown of all new cars and SUVs that are going to be unveiled or launched in the coming months. 1. Maruti Suzuki Jimny launch – May The Jimny is arguably the most awaited new launch of the entire year. In a way, it is a spiritual successor to the Maruti Gypsy, but one that has been specifically developed for India with a five-door body style. Sure, that adds to the practicality – Maruti wouldn’t have it any other way – but the Jimny will still be a lifestyle vehicle as a no-nonsense off-roader with a ladder-frame chassis and low-range 4x4....