NADA Auto Show 2023 Preview: Royal Enfield Hunter 350 And TVS iQube To Debut

The NADA Auto Show is making its grand return!

The highly-anticipated NADA Auto Show is finally returning after a 4-year hiatus on September 12. The NADA Auto Show will showcase the best of what the automotive world has to offer. The event will take place at Bhrikuti Mandap Exhibition Hall from September 12 to 17. In the past, the NADA Auto Show was canceled due to the nationwide lockdown, the credit crisis, and the luxury import ban. Despite the import ban, which was still very effective last year, NADA organized the EV Expo, but this year it will be totally different. Since the road to recovery has begun, the event is back with a bang!

According to estimates, there will be 82 stalls displaying 17 four-wheeler companies, 23 two-wheeler brands, and 6 commercial vehicle manufacturers, as well as several banking institutions, replacement parts, and accessories this year. This year, there are two equally exciting and enticing products that are going to make their debut from two different motorcycle manufacturers. And they are Royal Enfield and TVS, two very distinct brands in the motorcycle industry. Both of these brands are gearing up to reveal their aces for the year 2023. 

First up, we have the all-new Royal Enfield Hunter 350 for the Nepalese market at the upcoming NADA Auto Show 2023.

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 

The new offering from Royal Enfield is based on the same J platform as the Royal Enfield Classic 350 and the Meteor 350, but what sets the Hunter 350 apart is the all-new styling and slightly different hardware. When launched, this offering, i.e., the Hunter 350, could turn out to be the most affordable Royal Enfield motorcycle on sale in Nepal. 

After the Meteor 350 and the new Classic 350, the Hunter 350 is the third bike built on RE's J-platform. Despite sharing the same J platform, the Hunter 350 leans more towards the brand's sportier side than its touring spirit. The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is available in two styles: Retro and Metro. The introductory price for the two new variants of the Royal Enfield Hunter Retro is Rs. 4,59,000, and for the metro variant, which is a bit more pricey than the retro because of the color schemes, it is Rs. 4,79,000.

The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is powered by the same 349 cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled, fuel-injected counterbalanced engine as the Classic 350, but with a few minor changes. The motor produces the same 20.2 PS at 6,100 rpm and a torque of 27 Nm at 4,000 rpm. The engine is paired with a 5-speed transmission. Given its displacement, RE claims a peak speed of 114 kmph and a mileage of 36.2 kmpl. The fuel tank on the bike is 13 liters.

The motorbike is outfitted with a round-shaped headlight, fork cover gaiters, an asymmetrically positioned instrument cluster with the optional Tripper navigation system, round rear-view mirrors, a tear-drop-shaped fuel tank, a tall single-piece seat, a bulb-type taillight, and a stubbier exhaust. 

The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 also features a dual downtube spine frame for its construction. It comes equipped with a 41mm telescopic front fork that provides 130mm of travel and dual twin emulsion rear shock absorbers with 6-step preload adjustment, offering 102mm of travel for effective suspension performance. The seat height of the Hunter 350 stands at 800mm, which matches the height of the Royal Enfield Himalayan. Additionally, it offers a respectable ground clearance of 150.5mm.

Depending on the model, the bike has either 17-inch cast alloy rims or spoke wheels. In terms of brakes, the Metro Rebel and Metro variants both have a 300mm front disc and a 270mm rear disc, both with dual-channel ABS. The entry-level Retro model, on the other hand, has a 156mm rear drum brake and single-channel ABS. With a weight of 181kg, the Hunter 350 is much lighter than both the Meteor 350 and the Classic 350, with a weight decrease of 10kg versus the Meteor 350 and 14kg versus the Classic 350. When launched, the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 will compete against the likes of Honda H’ness CB350, Jawa Forty-two, Yezdi Scrambler, etc. 

TVS iQube Electric Scooter

TVS Motor Company introduced the iQube electric two-wheeler back in 2020. But this year it will make its first official debut at the 2023 NADA Auto Show. The pricing of TVS iQube electric scooter will be priced at Rs. 4,29,900 in the Nepalese market. It's a convenient, eco-friendly, connected scooter that has been warmly received by EV buyers in the automotive industry and can be noticed shifting towards electric mobility. TVS iQube Electric will be offered in 3 variants - iQube Electric ST, iQube Electric STD, and the top variant iQube Electric S. Jagadamba Motors, the authorized distributor of TVS motorcycles and scooters in Nepal, is set to launch the all-new TVS iQube electric scooter. 

iQube features a futuristic design of a U-shaped LED DRL on the handlebar cowl, a sleek headlamp, and taillight design, a big seat, a spacious footboard, a large under-seat storage box, and a USB charging port under the seat for recharging electrical gadgets. iQube has a TFT instrument cluster along with smartphone connectivity. Using this feature, you can get access to other features like navigation assist, geo-fencing, range, charge status, ride statistics, and Overspeed alert. Every different variant hasat different display however, the top-end ST variant gets a 7-inch touchscreen display as well as a joystick. Adding to the usability, the company also offers a USB charging port and a boot light as standard. 

Talking about TVS iQube motor, it has a peak power of 4.4 kW, which produces 140 Nm of peak torque at the wheel. The rated power and torque stand at 3 kW and 33 Nm, respectively. TVS claims that 0-40kmph acceleration takes 4.2 seconds in all variants and has a top speed of 82 kmph. The iQube comes with two riding modes, namely Eco and Power. The iQube motor of the Standard and S models claims a range of 100km, whereas the top model gets a bigger 4.56 kWh battery pack, offering a claimed real-world range of 145km. 

Moving on to the battery, the TVS iQube has three different ways to charge the scooter. You can charge it either with a 5A charging socket, a smart home charging unit, or a public charging station. If you use the standard 5A charging socket, you can get to full charge in just 5 hours. The TVS iQube comes with a Li-Ion battery that is enclosed in an aluminum extrusion casing. Moreover, the battery is IP67 rated, which means it is water and dust-resistant. Furthermore, there are three different ways to charge the TVS e-scooter.

The TVS iQube rides on telescopic forks and twin shock absorbers. Brakes include a front disc and a rear drum. It rolls on 12-inch alloy wheels on both ends. The standard variant of the electric scooter weighs 117.2kg, whereas the S and ST variants weigh 118.8 kg and 128 kg, respectively.

Participating Brands in NADA Auto Show 2023

Here is the list of automotive brands participating this year.

Two-Wheeler Brands: Aftek, Bajaj, Benelli, BMW, Evoke, Honda, Jawa, Komaki, KTM, Lectro, LVNENG, Pure EV, Royal Enfield, Segway, Slane N90, Sunra, Suzuki, TVS, Vespa – Aprilia, Zontes, Yadea, and NIU.

Interestingly, Yamaha and Hero will not take part in the upcoming NADA event.

Four-wheeler brands: Mahindra, Maxus, MG, Neta, Nissan, Seres, Suzuki, Tata, BYD, Citroen, Ford, GEV, GWM, Hyundai, Kia, and Wuling.

Light Commercial Vehicle: CG KYC, Force Motors, Foton, JAC, Kinglong, SRM, and Polaris.