LATEST CARS IN INDIA WITH PHOTOS AND EXPERT REVIEWS

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Facelift

Expected Price: ₹6 Lakhs                                                                                           Upcoming

Expected Launch: June 2018

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Facelift is not launched in India yet. Information on this page is tentative.

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Facelift Preview

The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz is the Indian car maker’s C-segment offering. After a couple of years after its launch, the Ciaz finally gained momentum to surpass the Hyundai Verna and then the Honda City to become the C-segment leader, a first for Maruti in the Indian car market. The Ciaz has been around for about three years and is due for a mid-life update.

Being a mid-life update, the changes are more or less cosmetic. We haven’t spotted the test mules yet which means the launch would certainly be in the latter half of the year. Going by the segment standards, the Ciaz facelift will get LED Daytime running lamps and projector headlamps at least on the higher-spec trims. The bumpers will be tweaked along with the grille for a fresher look and we hope the Honda City-ish tail lamps go under the knife.

On the inside, the current Ciaz is at par with competition on the features front and we think Maruti might not change it much. It might get automatic headlamps or wipers to compete with the new Verna. Under the hood, it will continue to get the 1.4-litre petrol and the 1.3-litre diesel engines mated to five-speed manual gearboxes. The petrol will continue getting the four-speed automatic while the speculations are rife that the Ciaz will be the second Maruti to get the 1.6-litre Multijet II diesel engine.

It is also speculated that with the addition of the 1.6-litre engine, the Ciaz might be moved to the premium Nexa scheme of things with the Vitara Brezza becoming the flagship model for the regular dealers. The price will not increase by much for the base petrol but the 1.6-litre diesel Ciaz might supersede the top-spec Honda City in terms of pricing.

Honda New Amaze

Expected Price: ₹5.5 Lakhs

Expected Launch: June 2018

Honda New Amaze is not launched in India yet. Information on this page is tentative.

Honda New Amaze Preview

Honda launched their first ever compact sedan, the Amaze, in India back in April 2013, thus creating a space for themselves in this extremely competitive segment. However, over the years, its competitors, with their new-generation cars, have inched ahead. But, Honda has responded rather quickly and instead of waiting for the standard six-year lifecycle to complete, the Japanese company has unveiled the all-new Amaze at the Auto Expo 2018.

Built on a new platform, the 2018 Honda Amaze has ditched its Brio-connection completely and now turned to the City for its design inspiration. The rectangular headlamps and the thick chrome slat across the fascia, is completely in line with the bigger Hondas, giving the Amaze a much needed aspirational angle. The prominent angular lines make it look bigger and should certainly suit the Indian tastes.

On the inside, the new Honda Amaze again takes cues from the popular City and gets a beige and black layout. The Amaze is known for its spacious cabin and that is certainly going to continue with the new platform as well. It will also make sure that the ride and handling is improved along with the NVH insulation. Climate control will be a standard on the top-spec trims along with a touchscreen display and rear AC vents.

The new Amaze will also be powered by the existing set of proven powertrains – the 1.2-litre i-VTEC petrol and the 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine. While the petrol gets a five-speed manual and a CVT gearbox option, the diesel gets a manual option only. ABS and EBD will certainly be standard along with dual front airbags as it has become a common norm in this segment.

The all-new Amaze will be launched by mid-2018 and should carry a price tag between Rs 5.5 lakhs to Rs 6 Lakhs.

          

Renault New Duster

Expected Price: ₹8.6 Lakhs

Expected Launch: March 2019

Renault New Duster is not launched in India yet. Information on this page is tentative.

Renault New Duster Preview

Renault last showcased the 2018 Renault Duster in production form at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. The third generation model gets fresh cosmetic and feature upgrades, while mechanically it will continue being powered by existing engine options. The new model gets an evolutionary design and comes forth with a fresh approach.

The 2018 Renault Duster gets massively flared wheel arches and forward leaning high back silhouette. In addition to the flared wheel arches, you also get stacked design at the rear as well as contrast coloured bash plates in the front and rear. Eye-catching elements include the design of the wheels as well as the signature Renault grille. This time around the vertical tail lamps have been replaced by rectangular units. Renault has introduced a larger 17-inch wheel size with the new Duster as is the trend these days in the compact SUV segment. The dimensions of the new-gen Duster remains more or less the same.

As for the interior the new Duster gets a full black theme with a new design for the air vents, instrument cluster and steering wheel. The higher spec variants now get chrome inserts, high quality plastics and reach/rake adjustment for the steering wheel. The dimensions remain unchanged for now and it will get India specific touches like the touchscreen system and most likely also offer the rear AC vents.

Powering the Duster is the same pair of petrol and diesel motors. The petrol engines are – 115bhp 1.6-litre SCe and a 145bhp 2.0-litre unit (also gets 4x4) – available with either a five-speed manual or a CVT. Meanwhile, the diesel is the same 1.5-litre dCI with a power output of either 90bhp or 110bhp. The 110bhp guise gets a 4x4 and an option of a DCT transmission. There is a host of off-road hardware available as well.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Audi SQ7

Expected Price: ₹1 Crores

Expected Launch: June 2018

Audi SQ7 is not launched in India yet. Information on this page is tentative.

   

Audi SQ7 Preview

The Audi Q7 has been largely popular in the Indian market and with the launch of the new generation Q7 last year, the flagship Audi SUV has managed to stay in the front of the race for large luxury SUVs. But the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer has always missed one thing in the Q7 – a powerhouse performance car. Yes, they had the 500bhp 6.0-litre V12 oil-burner, but it never really appealed like the ML 63 AMG or the BMW X5M. Audi now has built the SQ7 to take on the performance-packed luxury SUVs and is expected to come to India pretty soon.

Let us get to the meat first. Under the hood you have a 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged diesel engine. Unlike its petrol competitors, Audi has demonstrated its prowess of building performance diesel engines. And it is the first production car to have an electrically driven turbocharger. Developing 435bhp of power and 900Nm of torque the Audi Q7 powers past the 100kmph mark from rest in 4.8 seconds. It is equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission coupled up with the famed Quattro all-wheel-drive.

As for the aesthetics, you have the front grille with the S-badge and an aggressive front bumper with horizontal slats covering the air intakes and Matrix LED headlamps. The wing mirrors will be painted in contrast and it gets 20-inch alloys as standard. The two twin exhausts in the rear will give out the sleeper for the trained eyes. Inside, the SQ7 will continue to be luxurious. The upholstery will be done in fancy leather and all creature comforts will be on offer if not standard already.

The SQ7, as we have said before, will like to take on the BMW X5 M or the Mercedes GLE63 AMG or the GLS 63AMG and the top-spec Land Rover Discovery in terms of its price and appeal. The SQ7 will certainly tip the scale onward of a crore rupees if not by much.                                                                                              

          

Datsun Cross

Expected Price: ₹4.5 Lakhs

Expected Launch: December 2018

Datsun Cross is not launched in India yet. Information on this page is tentative.

        

Datsun Cross Preview

The crossover and SUV market in the Indian subcontinent is at its lucrative best for both the manufacturers as well as the buyers. As a buyer, you get something that resembles an SUV for the price of hatch. The latest entrant to the mass market of passenger vehicles in India – Datsun, has its eyes set on this segment. After the launch of the affordable Datsun Go, Redigo and the super compact MPV Go+, the Nissan sub-brand will get the Cross to India. Unveiled globally at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2015, the Cross was seen in India for the first time at the Auto Expo 2016.

Exterior

The Datsun Cross is based on the Go+ MPV and so has almost the same proportions. What is new, however, is the contrast coloured body kit which for this concept car is grey around the sides and silver on the pseudo bash plate elements.

Datsun has fitted this concept car with projector headlamps and LED DRLs which will become standard headlights when the vehicle goes into production. One of the other noticeable elements on the car is the black roof tray with rails which, we believe, will be carried over to the production model. There is a small rear spoiler and fancy looking C-shaped tail lamps which will likely be carried over into production.

Interior

There are currently no pictures of the interior but going by how Datsun has kitted out the cabin of its other models, we can safely assume that this vehicle too may get an amalgamation of the standard elements. AC, AUX-IN interface and space for about five people (realistically) are expected to be on the offer list.

Engine and gearbox

On the engine front, we expect the 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol to be the standard offering. There is a high possibility that this may be the first model in the Datsun line-up to be offered with a diesel engine, which, in this case, will be the 1.5-litre dCi that powers a variety of Nissan and Renault models. A five-speed manual will be common across all variants.

Price

We may probably get to see a near production version of the Cross and expect it not to be too far away from the concept. Being a concept car, it will be hard to predict any price. However, we believe that this vehicle will slot in above the Go+ and have a starting price in the range of Rs 4.5 lakh. It is expected to be launched sometime next year.