Upcoming car launches for the festive season till the end of 2014:
With the clamor of drum roll, India goes berserk with festivities in September, before culminating in October. So does the country’s buying spirit. Car makers see this as an opportunity to maximize sales, as an entire population looks to upgrade their automotive preferences!
What we have here is a list of upcoming cars that are confirmed to hit the showrooms soon, before the year 2014 and its festivities end.
Maruti Suzuki Swift/Swift Dzire face-lift:
The Swift has been around for a while now, and with competition heating up, a mild refresh is on the cards. External updates remain subdued; with a new front bumper featuring new L shaped DRL sets and newly designed alloy wheels and wheel caps for the lower variants. The interiors of the Maruti Suzuki Swift facelift will now get cruise control, key-less entry and a push button start, apart from the usual bells and whistles. The new Swift will continue to soldier on with the perky 1.2-liter petrol engine and the trusty 1.3-liter, Fiat-sourced Multijet diesel engine. Click here for spy pics in India.
The hottest selling Dzire will also get a face-lift, and as expected changes will be purely cosmetic. There’ll be a new grille with prominent, thick chrome lip, stuff much loved by the Indians! Also, expect some more chrome on the reworked front bumpers; and then some more at the back. Click here for spy pics.
Volkswagen Polo GT TSi and TDi:
The go-faster Polo GT variants managed to create quite a stir for enthusiasts as well as premium hatchback buyers. Sadly, they were short lived, and were nowhere to be found in the face lifted Polo range which was launched a couple of months back. However, now they’re back! To be incorporated with the new Polo’s updated styling, the new GT TDI will get the fresh 1.5-litre TDI engine, which debuted on the updated Polo. However, the GT’s mill will be tuned for better power (105 PS as against the normal variant’s 90PS) , 250 Nm of torque and will continue to be offered only with a manual transmission. The GT TSI will continue with its superb seven-speed DSG (dual-clutch automatic), mated to the familiar 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine.
Fiat Punto Avventura:
India doesn’t take too well to crossover hatchbacks, but this one might just cut the mustard. Based on the already gorgeous Punto Evo, the Avventura features a raised ground clearance, some heavy cladding with Avventura badges and a cool tail gate mounted spare wheel amongst other things. Power comes from the 92bhp 1.3-litre diesel motor found in the Linea and the Punto Evo Sport. This might just be an antidote to the ugly Toyota Etios Cross, and the boring Cross Polo. Click here for spy pics of the Fiat Punto Avventura.
Datsun Go+:
The Datsun Go+ MPV will share market space with the popular Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and the recently launched Honda Mobilio. A MPV based on the Go hatchback, Datsun will offer features like AC vents for the second row and foldable third row seats to increase boot space. The Datsun Go+ is expected to continue with the quirky split bench front seat design that debuted with the Go. The engine and underpinnings are also shared with the Go hatchback. It makes use of the 1.2-litre three- cylinder petrol engine with 67bhp of power and 104Nm of torque. However a mild power bump is expected, along with a new 1.5 liter diesel engine. Expect the Go+ to be the most aggressively priced MPV available in India upon launch.
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz:
With Ranveer Singh already wrapping up his commercial shoot for the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, the new mid-size offering’s launch is just around the corner, mid-October if reports are to believed. A completely new, ground up design based on the stunning Authentics Concept car, the Ciaz will be gunning for the heads of the new Honda City and the new Hyundai Verna. A 1.4 liter K-Series petrol engine from the Ertiga, and the popular 1.3 liter Multijet sourced from Fiat will do duty on the Ciaz. Both the motors will come mated to a manual transmission, and an automatic transmission will also be offered on the petrol model. Reports suggest that Maruti Suzuki will not offer the Ciaz with an AMT in an attempt to position it as a premium product. Maruti Suzuki will be launching the Ciaz in three trims- VXi/VDi, VXi+/VDi+ and ZXi/ZDi. Click here for the variants explained in detail.