AutoQ is our weekly round up of the automotive stories
1. Deal Time On Diesel Cars: Why Buy One Before April 2020?
From 1 April 2020, all vehicles sold in India will have to meet BS-VI emission norms, which is a huge step up from the current BS-IV norms prevalent in the country. With just about a month left for dealers to exhaust stocks of their BS-IV compliant vehicles, its time for bargain hunters to look for deals.
While most automakers have slowly been moving their petrol-engined products to BS-VI norms over the course of the past year, they have been waiting for the last few months to introduce diesel engines that are BS-VI compliant owing to the huge increase in prices of such vehicles, except in some cases.
However, not all car and bike dealers have been able to get rid of their BS-IV inventory soon enough, and these are the vehicles that will be up for grabs with some sweet discounts.
Read the story here.
3. PM Modi’s Gift to Trump: Harley-Davidson Bikes May Become Cheaper
Harley-Davidson bikes and the import duty charged on them by India has always bugged US President Donald Trump. He has been constantly lobbying Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring down tariffs for the past two years.
Now, according to a Bloomberg report, India may cut import duties for Harley-Davidson motorcycles by creating a separate tariff classification for them as part of the ongoing trade talks with the US. This would affect bikes with engine capacity over 1,600 cc.
The report says that Indian officials are likely to reduce tariffs to "a single digit" for bikes with displacement above 1,600cc.
You can read more about that in our story over here.
4. Riding Impressions: Royal Enfield Himalayan vs KTM 390 Adventure
Weekend rides are fun with the sheer variety of bikes that come to the party. Last weekend, I had the privilege of pitting the Royal Enfield Himalayan BS-VI against the new KTM 390 Adventure. Both these adventure touring bikes have their own character and loyal fan base.
An Instagram poll I put out had almost equal takers for both.
Some would argue that it’s not fair to pit the Royal Enfield Himalayan against the KTM 390 Adventure, given the difference in pricing. The Royal Enfield Himalayan BS-VI prices start at Rs 1.87 lakh ex-showroom, while the KTM 390 Adventure carries a price tag of Rs 2.99 lakh ex-showroom.
What does the KTM 390 Adventure offer for that extra Rs 1 lakh over the Royal Enfield Himalayan? Read the story here to know more.
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