MotorBeam Daily News Roundup – 23rd March

News highlights of the day include Nissan, Force, Coronavirus and Benelli.

Datsun – After the rumours of Nissan killing Datsun brand in some markets, the Japanese carmaker finally pulls the plug on Datsun in Indonesia. Once current stocks clear, they will stop selling Datsun cars in Indonesia.

Force Gurkha – Force Motors showcased the new gen Gurkha at the Auto Expo 2020 with new design, quality and BS6 compliant 2.6-litre diesel engine. The Indian carmaker will introduce the new generation Gurkha in June this year.

Coronavirus – Due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, the Indian automobile sector is heading towards a complete shutdown as majority of the auto manufacturers including component makers have temporarily shut operations. The industry might suffer a revenue loss of Rs. 15,000 crores in the next 10 days.

Benelli Imperiale 400 – Benelli will introduce the updated Imperiale 400 with BS6 compliant engine next month. The bike maker is likely to update only the engine without updating the features or styling of the bike. It has seen a price hike recently and we can expect marginal price increase with this update.

Motor Trivia – Did you know, Bugatti used to have dancing elephant as their hood ornament back in the day.

Comment of the day – Mahesh Thampi – “The trial of ‘ Trials’ is over.”