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Mahindra has introduced a new variant – Pack Two 79 kWh – for both the XEV 9e and BE 6 SUVs, priced at Rs 26.50 lakh and Rs 23.50 lakh (ex-showroom) respectively. While Pack Two in the EVs was previously only offered with the 59 kWh battery pack, the new variant extends the option of the larger 79 kWh battery pack to this trim level, offering higher range at a more affordable price. The company also went on to state it will commence deliveries of the Pack Two trims from end-July.
The new variants extend the option of a 79 kWh battery pack to the Pack Two trim
The 79 kWh battery pack in the BE 6 delivers a range of up to 682 km, as per IDC standards, while in the XEV 9e, the same battery offers a range of up to 656 km, based on ARAI testing. Power outputs of both SUVs, with the larger battery pack are 282 bhp and 380 Nm of torque. With the 59 kWh battery pack meanwhile, the claimed range figure for the BE 6 is 535 km, while that of the XEV 9e is 542 km. Power figures for both SUVs with this battery pack are 228 bhp and 380 Nm.
On the feature front, this list of equipment offered in the Pack Two variants include a Level-2 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) suite, twin 12.3-inch screens, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 16 speaker Harman/Kardon audio system with Dolby Atmos, dual zone automatic climate control, and a fixed glass infinity roof. The vehicles also get six airbags, in addition to disc brakes on both ends.
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Just days after implementing a ban on the sale of fuels to 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old-petrol vehicles, the Delhi Government has put the order on hold. In a letter to the Commission for Air Quality Management, Delhi Environment Minister, Sardar Majinder Singh Sirsa cited technological hurdles as well as a phased implementation of the ban in Delhi and the National Capital Region as reasons that made enforcing the ban difficult.
Delhi Govt letter to Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital. pic.twitter.com/ZEbFbi6o6P
Sirsa, in his letter, said that while cameras for the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system had been installed at fuel pumps across Delhi, the system could still be prone to glitches, improper installation and more. He also cited that the lack of integration of vehicle databases for other cities in the NCR also created issues of identifying vehicles.
Furthermore, he cited the lack of implementation of the ban in the wider NCR as another cause of concern stating that overage vehicles could simply move to Delhi’s satellite cities to refuel thus avoiding the rules.
The new fuel ban has also not been well received by the Petrol Dealers Association in Delhi. As per reports, the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association has filed a plea with the Delhi High Court challenging the mandate of denying fuel to End-of-life vehicles.
The fuel ban however could make a return once the ANPR system has been mandated across the entirety of the NCR though as per reports, the Delhi Government is also considering an emissions-based ruling instead of issuing an outright ban.
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Bajaj Auto has teased the launch of an updated Dominar 400 on its social media platforms. While the teased side profile image doesn’t reveal any details of what to expect, it is clear that there are no changes in the design as the motorcycle as the silhouette is the same as the current Dominar. However, new colour options are most likely to be introduced.
However, closer to the start of this year, a Dominar 400 was spied at a dealership featuring an LCD dot matrix display for the instrumentation, borrowed from the Pulsar NS400Z. On the NS400Z, the display offers features like Bluetooth connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation, SMS and call alerts, and access to ride modes, ABS modes and switchable traction control. Expect the updated Dominar 400 to be kitted with the modern display and equipped with all the mentioned features. Additionally, the secondary display on the current Dominar, located on top of the fuel tank, will be skipped with the introduction of the updated model.
The last update on the Dominar 400 was the touring-based add-ons, which gave the motorcycle a dash of freshness in terms of looks. It is also possible that Bajaj will update the powertrain with the one it offers on the Pulsar NS400Z, which is a more modern version of the KTM-derived 373 cc motor. A note of information, Bajaj is preparing to introduce an updated Pulsar NS400Z that is expected to come with better tyres, brakes, new features and probably an updated version of the current powertrain.
While there is no confirmation whether it will only be the Dominar 400 to receive and update, or the lower-spec Dominar 250 will also be part of the update. Notably, the latter has been well due for a much-needed attention and update.
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Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd (SAVWIPL) has announced that Skoda India has produced over 5 lakh passenger vehicles till date. The achievement comes almost 24 years after the brand rolled out its first locally manufactured model, the Skoda Octavia, from its plant in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (formerly Aurangabad) in 2001.
Commenting on the milestone, Piyush Arora, CEO & Managing Director, Škoda Auto Volkswagen India said, “It is not just about manufacturing 500,000 cars, but building and nurturing 500,000 connections. Every car that rolls out of our production lines, shares DNA of European engineering with unmatched quality, crafted with precision; delivering supreme comfort, safety, technology and driving dynamics. This achievement belongs as much to our customers as it does to our employees. Because what we’re manufacturing here isn’t just mobility, it’s a belief in what India can make for domestic as well as international markets. India plays a pivotal role in the Group’s growth strategy.”
The Czech carmaker, part of the Volkswagen Group, currently rolls out cars from two facilities in India with models being sold both in the local market and being exported. SAVWIPL said that 70 per cent of the Skoda cars rolled out to date came from the company’s Pune facility, with the remainder being manufactured at the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar plant.
Skoda in recent months has seen a strong growth in sales on the backs of the launch of the new Kylaq – the brand’s first subcompact SUV, as well as launching the new-gen Kodiaq in the market. The brand is also eyeing more launches for the market as well including the likes of the new Superb – Skoda's first diesel car for India in years – and the new Octavia RS.
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With the third-gen CLA making its global debut earlier in the year, it was only a matter of time as production of the second-gen CLA wound up globally. Now, Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the limited-run AMG CLA 45 Final Edition as a final swansong of the second-gen compactfour-door AMG Coupe.
To start with, the changes to the Final Edition are primarily cosmetic in nature. The 2.0-litre turbo-petrol mill from AMG continues to push out a rather ridiculous 416 bhp of max power and 500 Nm of peak torque and sends power to all four wheels via an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and 4Matic all-wheel drive. 0-100 kmph is completed in a brisk 4.1 seconds, and the Final Edition will hit a top speed of 270 kmph.
Focusing on the cosmetics, the Final Editions are offered in two Manufaktur colour options - mountain grey magno and night black uni. This is accented with ‘45 S’ decals in black or yellow on the front doors, along with yellow AMG logos on the wing mirrors and the wheels. The wheels themselves are new matte-black cross-spoke 19-inch AMG units. The Final Editions also get the AMG Night Package as a standard, offering darkened finishes to some external trim pieces, with buyers also offered the option for the Night Package II for an even stealthier look. Buyers can also opt for the AMG Aero package on the CLA 45 Final Editions that adds elements such as a front splitter, rear spoiler and a diffuser element.
The CLA 45 S Final Editions will be offered in both Coupe and Shooting Brake bodystyles.
Moving to the cabin, the Final Editions continue with the yellow highlight theme with contrast stitching and inserts on the seats and dashboard. The special editions also get yellow ‘45 S’ stitched into the seats and carpets and a ‘45 S Final Edition’ badge on the centre console.
Speaking of the Indian market, the CLA was only sold in India in its first generation - in standard and AMG guise, with the second-gen model replaced by the A-class Limousine. The third-gen CLA is expected to make its India debut next year and will replace the A-Class Limousine in the market.
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MG India is doing what Maruti Suzuki did with the Nexa. With a separate showroom, more premium and luxury cars (mostly electric) and a more elevated ownership experience, the MG Select showrooms will begin their innings with the M9 electric MPV. Internationally known as the Mifa 9, the M9’s bookings have already commenced. Here’s everything you need to know about the new luxury people mover:
Battery and Powertrain
With a 90kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery placed under the large floor, the M9 comes with a single motor setup. The 245bhp/350Nm electric motor powers the front wheels only, making it a FWD. Although the range isn’t officially revealed by MG India, their internal testing suggests a claimed range of around 500 km. It supports 160kW DC fast charging as well.
The MG M9 is a large car measuring 5,200mm in length, 2,000mm in width and 1,800mm tall with a large wheelbase of 3,200mm. This makes it bigger than the Kia Carnival and Toyota Vellfire in every aspect. It sits on 19-inch alloy wheels with a sliding rear door and electric boot. The three-row MPV also has a near-flat roofline, a footboard for the second-row passengers.
In terms of appearance, there a sleek LED daytime running lights with a headlamp setup placed slightly lower on a near-flat fascia. There’s chrome treatment done to the lower bumper, on the large window line and around the rear bumpers. The chrome lines around the three sets of windows make a Z-shape, and it also gives the D-pillar a wraparound appeal. There are only three colour options available with the M9 at the launch – Pearl Lusture White, Metal Black and Concrete Grey.
Probably the most important aspect of the M9’s personality is the second row, where you get individual seats for the two passengers, akin to the first-class airline seats. Apart from the 16-way electric adjustment, including a full-fledged recline with fold-out electric Ottoman, these seats also get an armrest-mounted touch panel that controls vehicle functions like panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, music controls, seat controls, as well as AC functions. The rear passengers can also opt for ‘optional paid’ entertainment screens. The seats also get an integrated tissue dispenser, and USB ports under the armrest, but no fold-out table or wireless charging.
The entire cabin is draped in a suede/leather combination finished in cognac brown, and that’s the only option available upon launch. As for the third row, it is for three with dedicated air vents, USB ports and cup holders.
Features
With a 12.23-inch touchscreen and a 7-inch driver’s display, the M9 also gets wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, JBL sound system, electrically adjustable, heated, ventilated and massage-enabled front seats, a wireless charger, a single-pane sunroof, three drive modes, a digital IRVM, and a PM 2.5 air filter. There’s also a Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) compatibility and a 55-litre frunk.
Apart from Level 2 ADAS, 7 airbags, 360-degree camera, ESP, EPB, TPMS, all-four disc brakes, ISOFIX, the M9 also offers something called a driver monitoring system that detects the driver’s drowsiness, and whether or not he/she is smoking. The M9 has also bagged 5-star ratings in both Euro and Australasian crash tests.
Pricing
While the positioning is expected to be between the Toyota Vellfire (petrol hybrid) and Kia Carnival (diesel), we expect the all-electric MG M9 to carry a price tag of around Rs 70-80 lakh (ex-showroom).
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Facing a huge surge in orders following the domestic launch of the YU7 SUV, Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has stated it will only consider EV exports from 2027. The carmaker received close to 3 lakh orders for its maiden SUV within hours of orders opening in China, and as a result, it will focus on its home market for now. Xiaomi, which only forayed into the automotive world a year ago, is still in the process of ramping up production to help meet the overwhelming demand for both of its cars. The incredible response for the YU7 has led to waiting periods of over a year, creating a problem of plenty for the company.
Xiaomi has two EVs in its automotive product portfolio
Xiaomi currently retails two vehicles in the Chinese market – the SU7 sedan and the YU7 SUV, which recently went on sale there. Ever since their introduction, both vehicles have been the subject of high interest from car buyers in China.
The prototype lapped the 20.8-kilometre Nurburgring circuit in 6 minutes 22.091 seconds
Another one of Xiaomi’s recent achievements in the automotive world was a new lap record at the Nurburgring. Having already set a lap record at the track in October 2024, Xiaomi’s high-performance SU7 Ultra Prototype set a new lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. In its latest attempt, the prototype lapped the 20.8-kilometre circuit in 6 minutes 22.091 seconds, a full 24 seconds quicker than its previous best time set in October 2024.
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Ahead of its on Independence day event, Mahindra has shared yet another teaser, this time previewing a model called the Vision.S. The latest teaser arrives just days after Mahindra teased the Vision.T Concept that is expected to be a closer-to-production derivative of the Thar.e from 2023. Similarly, the Vision.S could also preview a future production model, though it remains to be seen what.
One option could include a closer-to-production version of the Global Pik-Up Concept from 2023, or the Vision.S could be an all-new SUV. The Vision.S could also preview the new Bolero that has been spied testing in India on multiple occasions. Mahindra has previously confirmed that it would be debuting an all-new platform on August 15, so the Vision.S could likely preview one of the possible top hats for the new architecture.
What we can tell from the teaser is that the concept does get a muscular look. The images show a top-down view of the model’s front, revealing a clamshell bonnet with what looks to be vents along the outer edges and an almost vertical fascia with what could be a vertically slotted grille. The concept also looks to have prominent wheel arch flares.
The new concept will make its global debut on August 15 at what Mahindra is calling its ‘Freedom_Nu’ event. It remains to be seen what powertrain the concept will feature under the hood, with the teaser carrying the twin-peak logos for both Mahindra’s internal combustion and all-electric SUV divisions.
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Hyundai Creta has topped the car sales charts in India for the third time this year. The Korean carmaker sold 15,786 units of the SUV in June making it the highest selling car in the country. It bounced back strongly after slipping to fourth place in May when Maruti Suzuki Dzire was the bestseller. Before this, the Creta had topped the sales charts in March and April too. Additionally, it has also become the highest selling SUV in the just concluded first half of the year (January to June).
Tarun Garg, Whole-Time Director and Chief Operating Officer, Hyundai Motor India Ltd., said, “Becoming the best-selling model in June 2025, exactly as it completes 10 years in the country, is a testament to the love and trust that Indian customers have placed in the brand. Infact Hyundai Creta has been the highest-selling mid-size SUV in the country every completed year since its launch in 2015."
Since it was first launched in 2015, Hyundai has sold over 12 lakh units of the Creta in the market over two generations. It has been dominating a tough segment with several worthy contenders ever since. An updated model of the SUV was launched in early 2024 while the brand introduced its electric version in January this year.
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A little over five years since the unveiling of the Roma, Ferrari has now unveiled its successor, the Amalfi. Essentially an upgrade to the Roma, the Amalfi gets some noticeable design updates inside and out along with upgrades under the skin liberating more power and offering improved performance.
Starting with the looks, the Amalfi drops the body coloured cheesegrater grille of the Roma, instead featuring new sleeker headlamps connected by a slim grille. The bumper too looks a lot cleaner with a wide air dam while the splitter at the bottom also appear more prominent. Additionally, the bonnet design has also been revamped with the power bulge a lot smoother than on the Roma.
In profile, the Amalfi retains the sleek proportions of the Roma with its elongated bonnet, coupe roofline and prominent rear haunch. The more notable design updates come at the rear where the Amalfi gets a new active rear spoiler atop the rear lip, slightly lower set slit-like tail lamps and a cleaner looking rear bumper. The quad tip exhaust and diffuser element at the base of the bumper accentuates the Amalfi’s sporting pedigree.
Moving to the cabin, the Amalfi gets some notable design updates over its predecessor. The biggest change is that Ferrari has dropped the high-set floating centre console with the high-set portrait-oriented touchscreen replaced by a landscape display sitting lower down. The twin-cockpit design of the dashboard is retained with the driver getting a large digital instrument cluster flanked by air-con vents and a majority of the driver-centric control surfaces littered across the steering. Speaking of the steering, the Amalfi now features actual physical buttons for the audio and phone controls as well as the start-stop button – compared to the touch-sensitive controls of its predecessor.
The co-driver also gets two dedicated air-con vents with the option for a dedicated third display for personalised infotainment.
Focusing on the powertrain, the Amalfi retains the twin-turbo V8 though updates to the unit means that it now produces 631 bhp and 760 Nm – up from the Roma’s 620 bhp. Upgrades to the engine include tweaks to the turbochargers, a new lightweight crankshaft and a revised engine block that has also helped reduce weight. Power is sent to the rear wheels via an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox with Ferrari claiming a 0-100 kmph time of 3.3 seconds and a 0-200 kmph time of 9 seconds – 0.1 sec and 0.3 sec faster than the Roma. Ferrari says that the Amalfi also gets a retuned steering, a new brake-by-wire system and a new ABS Evo control unit to offer sharper dynamics.
The Amalfi is expected to go on sale starting from 2026 and could spawn a convertible down the road that would replace the Roma Spider that for now looks set to soldier on.
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Tata Motors has opened bookings for its latest all-electric offering, the Harrier EV in India. The booking amount for the EV is set at Rs 21,000, with deliveries set to begin later this month. Launched recently, the prices for the Harrier EV range from Rs 21.49 lakh to Rs 29.74 lakh (ex-showroom, charger prices not included). The SUV is the largest all-electric vehicle from the manufacturer yet, and the only one to feature a dual electric motor powertrain setup.
On the feature front, the Harrier EV will pack in a panoramic sunroof, multi-zone climate control, level 2 ADAS tech, powered and ventilated front seats, 360-degree cameras, remote parking, in-built front and rear dash cams, JBL Black speakers with Dolby Atmos and more. The QWD models will also offer six terrain modes, a transparent bonnet function for the 360-degree cameras and off-road cruise control.
On the powertrain front, the Harrier EV gets rear-wheel drive as standard, featuring a 235 bhp electric motor paired with a 65 kWh or 75 kWh battery. The QWD variants add a second 156 bhp electric motor to the front axle, taking combined output to 391 bhp and 504 Nm of peak torque. Tata claims that the Harrier EV QWD will hit 100 kmph from a standstill in 6.3 seconds. When it comes to range, the claimed figures are- 65 kWh RWD (538 km), 75 kWh RWD (627 km), and 75 kWh QWD (622 km). While a 3.3 kW charger is provided with the vehicle, the 7.2 kW fast charger is offered as a Rs 50,000 option.
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