Automobile
Indian auto manufacturer Bajaj to launch new EV production in 2022
Bajaj Auto has announced that it’s establishing a new manufacturing unit for electric vehicles in India. Located at Akurdi, Pune, this plant will be ready to roll out electric two-wheelers for domestic and export markets by June 2022.
The Chakan-based two-wheeler manufacturer is investing Rs 300 crore on this project. Spread over half a million square feet area, it will have an annual capacity to churn out as many as 500,000 electric vehicles per annum. There will be a bunch of in-house operations like fabrication, painting, assembly, and quality assurance. Subsequently, the new manufacturing unit is expected to generate incremental employment for 800 people.
The new facility will be located in the same area as the Bajaj Chetak’s
Bajaj Chetak production base in Akurdi. We believe the new unit is being set up for producing the electric scooter which was recently spied testing. A camouflaged unit of this e-scooter was spotted undergoing test runs alongside a few units of the Chetak. The test mule was fully camouflaged but its all-new styling and slightly different hardware than the Chetak were quite evident. This might be a more premium offering than the Chetak.
The whole R&D department of Bajaj will now be focused on developing future technologies for EVs. However, as Rajiv Bajaj’s statement mentions in the release, there’s one state-of-the-art ICE platform under development, which is certainly the result of the Bajaj-Triumph collaboration.
Automobile
Improved version of Hyundai Creta launched in Indian market: Check it out here
Hyundai India launched the much-awaited Creta Knight Edition in the country at a starting price of Rs 13.51 lakh (ex-showroom, all-India). This new variant is available in both petrol and diesel engine options and can be had either with a manual or an automatic transmission unit. To read more about the Creta Knight Edition, click here. In addition to this, the company has also introduced a model-year update for the Hyundai Creta with new feature additions.
The 2022 Hyundai Creta is now available in a new Denim Blue colour option and the Highline TPMS is now standard across all variants. The SX (O) trim now also gets a glossy black centre console. Furthermore, the company will offer the iMT option on the 1.5-litre petrol ‘S’ variant to further expand choices for the customers. The new S+ variant powered by a 1.4-litre T-GDi petrol engine with 7DCT now gets an additional set of features, such as –
– Smart panoramic sunroof
– 16-inch black alloy wheels
– Smartphone wireless charger
– Rear Disc Brakes
– Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
– Vehicle Stability Management (VSM)
– Hill start assist control (HAC)
– Paddle shifters
– Metal pedals
– Electric and auto-folding ORVMs
– Power window auto up/down
Mechanically, the SUV continues to be powered by the existing petrol and diesel engine options.