The Spec'd Desk
News, explainers and road trips
The Spec’d Desk covers the day’s car and bike news, explainers and road-trip stories, to the standards set out in How We Work.
Latest stories
121 articles
Road Trips & Culture
Nashik’s Simhastha Kumbh Begins October 31, But the Highway Built for It Won’t Be Ready Until December
News & Trends
Detroit’s Big Three Fall to a Record-Low 36% of US Car Sales, as Toyota Closes In by 38,000 Cars
News & Trends
₹4,150 Crore on the Table, Zero Takers: Why India’s EV Import Duty Cut Hasn’t Landed a Single Application
Explainers & How-To
No Claim Bonus Explained: The ₹2,525 Gap Between a 20% and a 50% Car Insurance Discount
Road Trips & Culture
1.8 Lakh Orders Deep: Will Your Car Arrive by Dussehra This Year?
News & Trends
Launched at ₹1,90,015: Bajaj’s Pulsar NS400Z Finally Gets a TFT, But It’s Still Not a 400
Explainers & How-To
Tinted Car Windows in India: The ₹10,000 Hisar Challan, and Why Kerala Says It’s Legal Anyway
News & Trends
Tesla Secures $30 Billion in New Credit, Six Times Its Old Limit, to Build Robots and Robotaxis
Road Trips & Culture
India’s ₹1.17 Crore Number Plates: Why Buyers Pay More for 8888 Than the Car
News & Trends
BMW Cuts Profit Margin Target to Just 3-5% by 2028, Will Axe 8,000 German Jobs
Explainers & How-To
India’s 5-Challan Rule Explained: How Unpaid Tickets Can Now Cost You Your Licence and Freeze Your RC
News & Trends
Launched at ₹1.35 Lakh: Honda’s QC3 Claims More Range Than the Activa e:, But Only 5 Cities Can Buy One
Road Trips & Culture
Rann Utsav 2026-27 Runs November 1 to March 7: What the Drive to Dhordo Actually Costs
News & Trends
US Fuel Economy Rules Cut to 34.9 MPG by 2031: Biden’s 50.4 MPG EV-Era Target Is Dead
News & Trends
Renault Triber Turbo Launched at ₹7.84 Lakh: 39% More Power, No CNG at Launch
Explainers & How-To
Pay As You Drive Insurance in India, Explained: Why the “Up to 90% Off” Never Touches Your Full Premium
Road Trips & Culture
Himachal’s Road-Trip Toll U-Turn: What Driving to Manali or Spiti Actually Costs This Festive Season
News & Trends
Volkswagen Recalls 2.86 Million VW and Audi Cars Over a Corroding Steering Bolt: Its Biggest Since Dieselgate
News & Trends
Launched at ₹5.29 Lakh: Tata’s Aeris Replaces the Tigor, and the CNG Version Loses Half Its Boot
Explainers & How-To
Zero Depreciation Cover Explained: The ₹17,500 Gap in a Single Car Insurance Claim
Road Trips & Culture
Goa’s New Flyover Banned Two-Wheelers Days After a Fatal Crash: What It Means for Your Next Ride to Goa
News & Trends
Launched at ₹10.32 Lakh: Mahindra’s Thar OG Gets a New Platform, But Six Airbags Stay a Top-Trim Perk
Road Trips & Culture
Royal Enfield’s One Ride Tripled to 1.5 Lakh Riders, But the Snow Leopard Math Won’t Add Up Until October 23
Explainers & How-To
MoRTH’s ADAS Mandate Takes Effect October 1, and It Has Nothing to Do With the Car You’re Booking
News & Trends
Mercedes-Benz Warns It Will Close a German Assembly Plant and Engine Factory Unless Costs Come Down
News & Trends
Volvo Names Ex-Skoda Boss Klaus Zellmer as CEO After Profits Crashed 68%
Road Trips & Culture
Kullu Dussehra 2026 Runs October 20 to 26: The Highway Fix That Actually Worked, and the One That Didn’t
News & Trends
Delhi Just Banned New Petrol Two-Wheelers From 2028: Here’s the Subsidy Math and Whether You Should Buy Now
Explainers & How-To
India’s 36.5% August Car Sales “Record” Explained: It’s a Low Base, Not a Buying Boom
Road Trips & Culture
India’s Weekend Road Trip Boom Is Real, and It Should Change What Car You Buy
News & Trends
Volkswagen Slashes 2026 Profit Guidance to 1% After a €10 Billion Porsche-Led Write-Down
Explainers & How-To
AC-On Mileage Testing Explained: Why Your Next Car’s ARAI Number Is About to Shrink
News & Trends
Volvo Confirms 13 New Models by 2030: Its Biggest Product Push in 99 Years
News & Trends
GM’s New 481 HP V8 Is Now the Most Powerful Naturally Aspirated Engine in Trucks
News & Trends
Kia Carens Clavis Automatic Gets ₹2 Lakh Cheaper at ₹14.67 Lakh, But You Still Won’t Get ADAS
Explainers & How-To
MoRTH’s New Cybersecurity Rules for Cars Target October 1, But They Won’t Touch a Single Vehicle On Sale in India
Road Trips & Culture
India Built 6,000 KM of New Expressways. Motorcycles Are Banned From Nearly All of It.
News & Trends
Ford Puts $1 Billion Into a New Kentucky Paint Shop, Two Days After Washington’s China Warning
Explainers & How-To
AVAS Explained: Why Every New EV in India Must Legally Make Noise From October 1
Road Trips & Culture
Zoji La’s Tunnel Just Broke Through: What It Means for Your Next Ladakh Ride
News & Trends
Volkswagen’s Restructuring Now Has a Price Tag: €16 Billion to Cut Up to 60,000 Jobs
News & Trends
Launched at ₹79.60 Lakh: BMW’s i5 LWB Is Its First Made-in-India Electric Sedan
News & Trends
Trump’s Transportation Secretary Tells Ford to Cut China Ties: Stock Falls 4.2%, Farley Calls It “Wrongheaded”
Explainers & How-To
Battery-as-a-Service Explained: Does Citroen’s ₹6.99 Lakh e-C3X Deal Actually Save You Money?
Road Trips & Culture
India Bike Week 2026 Confirmed for December 4-5 in Panchgani: This Year There’s No Refund If You Miss It
News & Trends
Launched at ₹2.29 Lakh: Royal Enfield’s Himalayan 440 Is the Simple Adventure Bike the 450 Left Behind
News & Trends
Volkswagen Board Approves 50,000 More Job Cuts, Confirms Seat Brand’s End By 2029
News & Trends
Kia Sorento Launched at ₹27.99 Lakh: Made-in-India 7-Seater Undercuts the Fortuner
Explainers & How-To
CAFE-III Explained: Why Bigger SUVs Could Get Pricier After 2027
Road Trips & Culture
Motoverse 2026 Just Opened Bookings at ₹2,599: Here’s Whether the Early Bird Is Worth It
News & Trends
Range Rover Electric Launched at £154,070: India Bookings Open at ₹10 Lakh
Explainers & How-To
Bharat NCAP 2.0 Explained: Why Your 5-Star Car Might Not Stay 5-Star After 2027
News & Trends
Volkswagen Board Votes Friday on Cutting 50,000 More Jobs and Closing 4 German Plants
Road Trips & Culture
Ladakh Bike Week 2026 Starts Today, But Only Half the Event Actually Has a Way to Register
News & Trends
Honda and Nissan Sign a Software Pact to Build Shared Car “Brains” From 2029
Explainers & How-To
MoRTH Wants Every New Vehicle Talking to Each Other by 2028: India’s V2V Mandate, Decoded
News & Trends
Mahindra Scorpio-N Facelift Launched at ₹13.69 Lakh: ADAS Still Locked to the ₹21.35 Lakh Trim
Road Trips & Culture
Ganesh Chaturthi 2026: The Dates Not to Drive Mumbai to Konkan, and Why NH66 Still Isn’t Ready
Explainers & How-To
Skip a Toll Booth in 2026 and NHAI Will Text You: What India’s New E-Notice Rules and GNSS Tolling Actually Mean
News & Trends