In the past few months, we have witnessed many new cars launched and with frequent sightings of upcoming vehicles, it is safe to assume that we are in for a ride for the rest of the year as well. If you are in the market looking for a new car, you might want to go through this compilation to know which cars are slated to launch in our country in the coming few months. To capitalize, even more, most of the cars mentioned here should arrive during the upcoming festive season.
Mahindra Bolero Neo
We have seen numerous spy shots of the all-new Bolero Neo. This SUV is all set to become the facelifted TUV300 but with a new moniker. There is a new front grille and bumper design and the overall design language looks slightly more premium than before. The interior is said to be equipped with a touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Safety features such as dual front airbags, rear parking sensors, ABS with EBD, and ISOFIX anchorage will be offered as standard.
The compact SUV is likely to come with a BS6-compliant 1.5-litre diesel engine that should produce 100 HP and 240 Nm. A 5-speed manual gearbox will be paired with the engine. With this, Mahindra also plans to offer an AMT gearbox. It is expected that this car will come out anytime in July or August 2021.
Mahindra XUV 700
The XUV 700 is the most anticipated car in the country right now. Mahindra keeps on teasing us with rad features that make the SUV even more desirable. Recently Mahindra teased us with the smart door handles for the XUV700, which are usually seen in luxury cars. The smart door handles will flush with the body panel and come out when the car is unlocked.
As far as the powertrain is concerned, XUV 700 will get a 2.2L diesel and a 2.0L turbo petrol. It will have class-leading figures for both the engines, 2.0L petrol will churn out 200bhp and 2.2L diesel will give out 185 bhp of power.
In terms of features, it will be equipped with a large touchscreen infotainment system, fully digital instrument cluster, connected car technology, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, panoramic sunroof, electrically adjustable seats, ventilated seats, flush door handles and dual-zone climate control to name a few. The launch is likely to be in September 2021.
Mahindra Scorpio
Mahindra is all set to launch various vehicles as part of their future plan. We have seen test mules of the all-new Scorpio and it has some amazing features. It is likely that the all-new Scorpio will be based on the new body-on-frame chassis, the same as Thar. The powertrain options will be the same as the Thar but a bit more powerful. It will have options of a 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel mHawk engine and a new 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol mStallion motor.
Coming to the premium features, the all-new Scorpio will have a touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Other features are cruise control, a voice command function, engine start/stop switch, multiple airbags, a sunroof, ABS with EBD, electronic stability program with rollover mitigation, hill hold assist, two-zone temperature control, traction control, smartphone connectivity, USB ports and a wireless charging pad. The launch is likely to happen at the same time as the XUV700.
Tata HBX
Tata Motors took the wraps off the HBX Concept at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. The H2X previews a micro-SUV that will sit below the Nexon and is rumoured to be called the Hornbill. The HBX Concept has futuristic and sports unique design elements which makes it different from the new line-up of Tatas.
It will be based on the ALFA platform same as the Altroz. The front fascia is similar to that Harrier, with sleek DRLs and huge headlamps underneath. This will enter into a new segment which is the Micro SUV. It will rival Ford Freestyle and Mahindra KUV100. It is expected to launch next year.
MG Astor (ZS Petrol)
The latest offering by MG will be based on the ZS EV. This will be a petrol-powered vehicle. It was showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo. The design and the interior will be similar to the ZS EV.
It will be equipped with two engine options, first one will be the 1.5-litre VTi motor which will give out 118 bhp of power and 150 Nm of torque. It will also come equipped with a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol motor that will produce 161bhp and 230Nm of torque.
Audi Q7 Facelift
The mighty Q7 is one of the most famous luxury SUVs in India. It has received a facelift in 2020 but there will be a newer one as well with a plethora of latest features. The new Q7 will have Audi’s newest design language. It will be equipped with Matrix LED headlamps with DRLs. There will be a huge hexagonal grille with the Audi logo in the middle. There will be updated front and rear bumpers. The rear will be fitted with LED tail lamps. The new Q7 will have 20-inch alloy wheels.
The interior of the new Q7 will come fitted with modern features such as a 3-screen setup that includes a 12.3-inch digital cockpit, 10.1-inch infotainment system and an 8.6-inch MMI display. More features include a Heads-up display, park assist, driver assistance tour pack, advanced warning system, blind-spot assistance, four-zone temperature control, adaptive air suspension, 19-speaker boss sound system, multi-colour extended LED interior lighting pack, 360 camera and many more. The Indian model will be offered with only 1 engine option which will be a 3.0L V6 petrol engine which will churn out 335bhp of power. It will be paired with an 8-speed automatic.
Audi e-Tron
The latest entrant in the luxury EV space is going to be the e-Tron by Audi. It was first showcased at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2015. It will be equipped with all the latest tech inside and out. It will be based on the Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLB) developed by the Volkswagen Group. Which enable FWD cars to be equipped with AWD systems.
Adding more, the e-Tron will get high tech optical ORVMs. It will also be fitted with LED headlamps and tail lamps, Quattro AWD system, adaptive air suspension and 20-inch aero alloy wheels are some of the features. The interior has a full modern and futuristic looking cockpit. There are 5 displays in the car which incude a 12.3-inch driver display, 10.1-inch infotainment system, 8.3-inch MMi touchscreen and 2 7-inch OLED touchscreen to view a live feed from the optical rear view mirrors. The E-tron will be available in 3 variants. They are 50, 55 and 55 sportback.
The 55 e-Tron Quattro (Sportback) produces 174 bhp and 310 Nm of torque. It does 0-100 in just 5.7 seconds and tops out at 200 kmph. It also has a boost mode where it produces a whopping 402 hp and 664 Nm of torque. The range for this version is 365 to 436 km on a single charge on the WLTP cycle. On the other hand, the e-tron 50 Quattro (SUV) gets 174 hp and 310 Nm of torque. It can achieve 0-100 in 6.6 seconds and tops out at 200 km/h. The WLTP cycle range is 276 to 336km. Audi e-Tron is all set to launch on the 22nd of July with price ranging from ₹1-1.20 crore
Skoda Slavia
Launching under Skoda and Volkswagen’s India 2.0 strategy, the Skoda Slavia will be based on the MQB AO(IN) platform just like the recently launched Kushaq. The exterior is going to carry Skoda’s notchback design and crystalline LED lights. The interior will borrow bits from its crossover siblings like the two-spoke steering wheel, sunroof, 10-inch touchscreen system and Skoda premium sound system.
The engine options will include a 1.0 TSI and a 1.5 TSI. Both of these powertrains will get an option of a 6-speed manual and a torque converter or a dual-clutch automatic transmission depending on the engine. Expect the Slavia to be loaded with a host of standard safety features. The Slavia will be unveiled by the end of this year and we expect it to carry a significant premium over the Rapid.
Volkswagen Vento Replacement
The Volkswagen Virtus will be the upcoming Skoda Slavia’s sibling. It will share its platform and powertrain options with the Slavia, however, the interior and exteriors will be different. The Virtus will sport Volkswagen’s understated yet elegant styling. We had recently spotted a left-hand drive version of the Virtus undergoing testing.
The Virtus could also feature additional equipment over the Kushaq such as a virtual cockpit just like the upcoming Taigun. We expect the Virtus to be unveiled next year and be positioned similar to the Slavia. The pricing will be similar to the Slavia
Hyundai AX1
The Korean carmaker is developing a micro SUV codenamed AX1 which was first announced way back in 2018. It has already been spied on test many times. The teaser images however reveal some key details. The first teaser image is of the headlamp cluster which has taken a round shape and as is evident from the spy images too, will make it to production as well. The unit features a LED DRL ring with the upper portion of the image also providing a glimpse of the upper light cluster. The image of the tail-lamp shows a unit with an intricate triangular patterning – likely LED modules.
As for the performance, it could use the same 1.2-litre petrol engine developing around 82 bhp maximum power at 6,000 rpm and 114 Nm of peak torque at 4,000 rpm. Hyundai might also roll out a more affordable variant of the AX1 with the 1.1-litre petrol engine from Santro. This unit belts out 68 bhp at 5,500 rpm and 99 Nm at 4,500 rpm. A five-speed manual and a five-speed AMT transmission will likely be on offer while the possibilities of a CNG variant cannot be ruled out either.