VR Tech Times

Harley-Davidson has announced that it will launch the anniversary edition versions of the Heritage Classic, Fat Boy, Street Glide and Road Glide in India. 2023 marks the 120th anniversary of the American marque and to commemorate the occasion, Harley-Davidson has introduced the anniversary editions in limited numbers.  Anniversary edition models get special colours Expected to go on sale in the coming weeks Mechanically identical to the rest of the 2023 range  2023 Harley-Davidson anniversary edition models details The Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic 114, Fat Boy 114, Street Glide 114 and Road Glide 114 anniversary edition bikes get a special, “Heirloom Red Fade” colour. It has an attractive red colour as its base with a faded black effect that gives it a slight, two-tone appearance. Adding to the specialness is the anniversary edition logo that’s shaped like a flying eagle with the Harley-Davidson branding in the centre. Below this lies the special “1903-2023: ...

Hyundai has released official images of the Sonata facelift, which will be sold only in international markets. The sedan has received an exterior and interior design overhaul, resembling the flagship  Grandeur luxury sedan and the recently launched India-spec Verna . The new Sonata will make its global debut at the Seoul Mobility Show on March 30. Features a split-headlamp design setup Gets a dual 12.3-inch screen layout Expected to retain the same 2.5-litre petrol powertrain Hyundai Sonata facelift exterior design When it comes to the exterior, the Sonata looks radically different from its predecessor that was launched in 2019 . At the front, the sedan now gets a full-width LED Daytime Running Lamp bar, with a split LED headlamp setup. Complementing the looks further, are the angular extensions on the front grille. In profile, the Sonata retains its four-door coupe body style and sports a strong shoulder line from the fender to the tail-lamps. At the rear, the sedan ge...

After establishing its pilot battery swapping project in India a few months ago and inking a deal with Metalman Auto for manufacturing its electric scooters, Taiwanese battery-swapping giant, Gogoro, has now homologated its 2 and 2 Plus e-scooters in India. Gogoro electric scooters patented in India: details The highlight of both the Gogoro 2 and 2 Plus e-scooters that have been homologated in India is the swappable battery pack that powers them. In time, Gogoro has plans to expand its battery swapping capabilities in the country, making recharging a matter of minutes – not hours – as is the case with a fixed battery. As per the official homologation document, the Gogoro 2 has a claimed range of 85km, while the 2 Plus has a slightly higher 94km range (range numbers are as per IDC). What is slightly odd is that the 2 has a slightly higher claimed peak power figure of 7.2kW as compared to the 6.4kW figure of the 2 Plus. The 2 Plus can manage the sprint to 50kph from a standing...

Having a third-party insurance cover is a statutory requirement for vehicles in India. We look at its key features and the latest premium rates. Let’s face it, even if you’re the best driver in the world, accidents do happen. And while motor insurance cannot prevent accidents from happening, it can shield you from the financial impact. Having motor insurance, especially third-party insurance, is critical because it not only eases the financial burden, but it is also mandated by the law. Since September 2018, having a third-party insurance cover has been made mandatory under Section 146 of the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA), 1988. Not having this can lead to penalties or various other legal implications. Section 146/196 of the MVA stipulates a fine of Rs 2,000 for a first-time offender and a fine of Rs 4,000 for a repeat offender.* Visit the official website of IRDAI for further details. The premiums for third-party insurance are determined by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Aut...

The 2023 Portuguese GP marked the return of MotoGP action and saw a flurry of activity in the opening laps, mainly due to an incident where Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez took out RNF Aprilia’s Miguel Oliviera (the only Portuguese rider on the grid).  Brad Binder goes from 14th to 6th; Jack Miller 7th  Fabio Quartararo finishes 8th Alex Marquez finishes first race on Ducati machinery in 5th Four Ducatis in top 5, factory KTM duo eclipse Quartararo Save for factory Aprilia rider, Maverick Vinales, who battled with Bagnaia for much of the first half of the race, no other non-Ducati rider was able to breach the top five. This solidifies Ducati’s status as one of the strongest and most consistent manufacturers on the grid.  Ex-factory Ducati rider and now official KTM rider Jack Miller battled for the podium early on before a late move by Johann Zarco saw him lose a few spots to take the chequered flag in seventh place. Sunday man Brad Binder, despite his sore neck due ...

Dodge is bidding a final farewell to its venerable 6.2-litre supercharged V8 engine with a new variant of the Challenger muscle car so rapid that it has been banned from drag racing in its factory configuration. Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 has a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 engine It produces 1,039hp, 1,281Nm on E85 ethanol-petrol blend fuel Only 3,300 examples will be produced Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 performance The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 hosts a series of upgrades for the Hemi engine, boosting its outputs to 1,039hp and 1,281Nm when running on E85 fuel. The switch to E85 – which comprises 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petrol – is alone responsible for a significant proportion of the boost, with outputs dipping to 912hp and 1,098Nm when running on conventional E10.  The supercharger has also been reworked with a larger intake and a smaller 3.02-inch pulley, giving a 40 percent increase in boost pressure to 21.3psi. A ‘power chiller’ system also diverts ...

Piaggio is developing a new airbag system for its MP3 scooter, going by the patents that have been filed by the company. Piaggio has previously showcased a prototype MP3 at the EICMA 2022 in Italy with the airbag logos. Now that a patent has been filed, it looks like the production-spec MP3 might get the safety feature sometime in the future. Patent drawings show Piaggio is developing new airbag tech  Airbag protects against frontal collision The patent drawings reveal the location of the airbag, which, when folded, sits behind the inner fairing, below the handlebar. As is the case with airbags in a car, the airbag in the MP3 will deploy as soon as a collision occurs, the whole process taking a few milliseconds. Once open, the airbag covers the rider’s head and torso, and prevents an impact with the handlebar, thereby reducing the possibility of major injuries or worse, fatalities.  It goes without saying that the airbag-equipped MP3, if and when launched, will comm...

Jaguar-powered cars took a clean sweep of the podium at the inaugural Sao Paulo E-Prix. After bouncing back from a string of poor luck, Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans took victory in Brazil, with teammate Sam Bird finishing third. Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy was second, clinching his third podium finish in a row. Mahindra Racing, along with customer team Abt Cupra, returned to the grid after having to withdraw from the previous Cape Town E-Prix due to rear suspension safety concerns. However, neither team was able to score any points. Evans wins, 0.284 secs ahead of Cassidy Bird completes podium Wehrlein finishes seventh to hold on to title lead Three-way Jaguar fight for Sao Paulo E-Prix win Polesitter Stoffel Vandoorne led the race early on. But the new Brazil street track’s layout ended up taking a toll on the leaders, since drivers behind were gaining the advantage of the slipstream effect and conserving a lot more energy. As the laps went by, Cassidy and Evans broke...

Ford will bring the famed Capri nameplate back for its second born-EV SUV based on Volkswagen's MEB platform. The first born-electric model on the VW MEB platform is the Explorer EV SUV that will go on sale in Europe in the coming months. Ford Capri to come back as a born-EV Will be focused on the European market Will go on sale in Europe after the Explorer EV Ford Capri EV SUV: second MEB-based born EV The all-new Ford Capri EV SUV will be unveiled next year. The original Ford Capri was a popular two-door sports coupe that was on sale from 1968-1986 in Europe.   As far as looks go, while the names may be familiar, the designs really won’t be. As the first of a new breed of Fords conceived under the Adventurous Spirit banner, the Explorer sets the tone for every bespoke EV that will follow it over the coming years. Direct references to previous Ford models are few and far between, both inside and out. Likewise, the new-generation Capri will be a higher-riding propositio...

I have been driving a Creta since 2017 but am looking to upgrade to a seven seater SUV. I have two basic requirements – it should be an upgrade over the Creta and should have ample room for 6 adults. My budget is under Rs 30 lakh. What are my options? Devesh Mehta – Surat Autocar India says: While the new Creta also comes as a three-row SUV in the form of the Alcazar, we would recommend you the Toyota Innova Hycross as well. It is currently one of the best three-row vehicles under Rs 30 lakh. You get a spacious and premium cabin, a long equipment list and most importantly, efficiency of a hybrid powertrain. Thanks to its new monocoque underpinnings, it even drives a lot better than its predecessor.  Also see: Toyota Innova Hycross review: Moving the goalposts Toyota Innova Hycross video review Hyundai Alcazar review, test drive Hyundai Alcazar video review from Autocar India https://ift.tt/Oq3dLVc

This is Levi in Finland. It’s a ski town miles away from anything else, so far north of the Arctic Circle that the locals are on a first-name basis with Santa Claus. At this time of year, there’s only about six hours of sunlight, and all it serves to illuminate is white as far as the eye can see. It’s -12 degrees Celsius, which the locals tell me is ‘pleasant’ and ‘lucky’, and there’s a raw, stark beauty to this frozen winter wonderland, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. But none of this is enough to break my focus from the task at hand. “Look… beyond… the apex,” I mutter to myself, sawing frantically at the wheel while the car strays further away from said apex. It’s the first rule of driving on ice – to look where you want to go, rather than where you are actually headed – and sure enough my instructor Jon Paul crackles in on the radio to chide me for just that. This is day one of three at the Porsche Ice Experience, and I’m taking it very seriously. After all, it’s not ev...

The Streetfighter V4 has lived in my head ever since I spent a memorable few days with it for our road review in late 2021 . There is nothing else like this bike with its Italian design, streetnaked usability and 208hp that arrives at 14,500rpm. Those last four thousand revs are a violent thrill you can never forget...  When the chance to attend Level 4 at California Superbike School came up, I really wanted to do it on a properly fast motorcycle. A call to the generous folks at Ducati India revealed that the Streetfighter V4 was available and that I’d get it with a fresh set of Pirelli Supercorsas - yummy! At its core, the SFV4 is very close to being a naked Panigale V4 without the fairing and clip-ons. And therein lay the first and biggest challenge I faced - holding on. With nothing to shield you from the wind, your lower body needs every bit of assistance it can get when it comes to anchoring to the bike. If you plan on riding your Streetfighter quickly, it's really worth s...

By BY FRANZ LIDZ from NYT Science https://ift.tt/fzJmd92

Also see: Bajaj Pulsar NS 200, NS 160 review: Keeping it fresh from Autocar India https://ift.tt/G7S8g0L

There are now 11 different Pulsars on sale – yes, 11! That's because Bajaj find themselves in a tricky situation: loyalists don’t want to let go of old motorcycles and many of the new age models (particularly, the 250s) have had a slower acceptance rate than the company would have liked. The result is a strange mix of machines, some with the latest of Bajaj’s design and technology as well as a number of others that cut shapes that we have grown familiar with over the last decade or more. The two bikes you see here are very much from that latter group. Bajaj tells us that they still sell about 3,500 NS Pulsars in India every month, and that number is doubled when it comes to overseas sales, primarily from Latin American markets. Clearly, discontinuing these motorcycles is out of the question so the company did the next best thing – give them a bit of an update. Bajaj Pulsar NS 200, NS 160 design updates Both the Pulsar NS 200 and NS 160 now get an upside down front fork, bigger ...