We are halfway through 2016 and have already seen few hit launches in the market in the form of Maruti Vitara Brezza and Datsun Redi-Go. The festive season is around the corner and that is when the swarm of new cars are launched in India to capture the festive mood. We bring you 20 new cars and SUVs that will be launched in the Indian market within next 5 months.
Maruti Suzuki Ignis
Ignis is definitely the most awaited car in 2016. The car was showcased at the Auto Expo earlier this year and was a huge crowd puller. The sub 4-metre crossover has been caught testing extensively in India. The car will be sold through the premium network of Maruti called Nexa alongside Baleno and S-Cross. The launch is scheduled to happen during October.
Ignis will be offered with two engine options – 1.3-litre multijet diesel, and a 1.2-litre petrol unit. Maruti will offer both manual and automatic transmission options with the Ignis. Ignis will carry a starting price of around Rs. 5 lakhs.
Maruti Baleno RS
The Baleno RS was showcased as a concept during Auto Expo 2016. It is not just a mere stickering job or body kit add-on, the Baleno RS will carry a high-performance engine. Even though the RS version will look almost identical to the current Baleno, there will be slight differences in the form of alloy wheels or/and body kit to set it apart from the regular car.
Maruti will put the 1.0-litre boosterjet petrol engine for the first time in a car for the Indian market. The 3-cylinder turbo petrol engine develops a maximum power of 112 Bhp with torque peaking at 175 Nm. The car will only get a 5-speed manual transmission at the time of the launch. It will be priced at around Rs. 8 lakh ex-showroom.
Hyundai Elantra
The all-new Elantra is coming to India and has been caught testing on Indian roads already. The new Elantra looks way better than the current model that it will replace. New Elantra may come as soon as next month and will compete with D-Segment cars like Chevrolet Cruze, Skoda Octavia and Toyota Altis.
Apart from thew new looks, the new Elantra also gets upgraded interiors with new 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Engine options will be 1.6-litre diesel from the current model and new 2.0-litre petrol unit along with a choice of 5-speed manual or 6-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. New Elantra will carry a sticker price of around Rs. 15 lakh ex-showroom.
Hyundai Tuscon
Hyundai is bringing back its soft-roader in India this year. The upcoming Tuscon will make the older version look like prehistoric design. Designed with Hyundai’s Fluidic philosophy, the new Tuscon will enter Indian market as a Completely Knocked Down (CKD) unit that will translate into aggressive pricing.
The 5-seater Tuscon will be powered by a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine that generates around 180 Bhp of maximum power. The car will compete with the likes of Skoda Yeti and will be launched around October this year.
Tata Hexa
Tata’s first attempt to enter the crossover market did not go very well. This time around, Tata will try its luck again with the Hexa. It has been quite a while since Tata announced the Hexa and finally, we saw the production version of the car at Auto Expo this year.
The crossover from Tata will be powered by the 2.2-litre VARICOR turbo diesel engine that also comes with the new Safari Storme 400. The engine develops around 153 Bhp of maximum power and 400 Nm of maximum torque. Tata will offer the car with an option of 6-speed manual or automatic transmissions. Advanced features like Driving Modes to choose between Auto, Dynamic, Comfort and Rough Terrain will be in the equipment list of the car.
The 7-seater car will take on the likes of XUV 500 and will be launched by the end of this year at around Rs. 10 lakh ex-showroom.
Honda Brio
Honda Brio has been long due for an update. Finally, Honda is working to bring the Brio facelift this year that will make Brio look more like the current generations of Honda cars. The new Brio will share looks with the Honda Amaze sedan. Prominent changes include a thicker single slab of chrome grille, new bumper design with housings for foglamps, new headlamps and alloys. Brio remains unchanged from the rear except the addition of a thick chrome strip.
The interiors look similar to Honda BR-V. Black and Beige colour tone. A 2-DIN audio system and new AC controls will be seen on the dashboard.
The 1.2-litre engine remains the same from the current model but will get retuned for more power. A 5-speed manual transmission will be standard while CVT will be an option. Honda may not put a diesel engine in the Brio.
Renault Kwid 1.0-litre and AMT
Renault showcased the Kwid Easy-R AMT and 1.0-litre engine at the Auto Expo. The Kwid has been selling like hot cakes in the market and the option of AMT will make it even more popular. The car will compete directly with Celerio AMT.
Another version of the car that will be launched this year is the more power version. The Kwid 1.0 will carry a bigger engine than the current 0.8-litre engine and will compete against the likes of Alto K10. Both the cars are expected at around Diwali this year.
Polo GTI
The three-door hot hatchback has been caught numerous times while being tested in India. The Polo GTI will become the fastest hatchback in the country after it is launched. Powering the GTI is the same engine that goes under the hood of Skoda Octavia. The 1.8-litre, 4-cylinder turbo petrol generates a maximum of 189 Bhp and 250 Nm of maximum torque. The engine gets mated with advanced 7-Speed DSG transmission that makes the car reach 100 km/h from standstill in just 6.7 seconds. The Polo GTI can reach a top speed of 230 km/h.
Volkswagen is bringing the car as Completely Built Units (CBU), which will attract over 110% of tax. The GTI will come to lift the brand image of the company and will be priced at around Rs. 20 lakh ex-showroom.
Skoda Rapid Facelift
The new Rapid is coming soon to India and has already been caught testing numerous times on Indian roads.
Rapid is based on the same Polo platform and competes with Vento in India. The new Rapid will have an updated front grille but nothing more has been changed substantially in the facelift. Other features like projector lamps, rain sensing wipers may be included with the facelift. Inside the car, there will be MirrorLink based infotainment system.
Skoda may also include new engine options in the form of 1.6-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel with the facelift. The car will be launched around festive season and price will start from around Rs. 8 lakh ex-showroom.
Continued Below: 20 Cars & SUVs launching in 5 months