The period of March-April is quite exciting for the car market. With the change of financial year, manufacturers start coming out with their new products in the market. What are the cars that will be launched in March-April 2018? Here’s a list.
Ford Figo Freestyle
Ford Figo and the Aspire are due for an update in the Indian market but before that, Ford will launch the Figo Freestyle. It is a crossover version of the Figo hatchback and will be a first of its kind from Ford. The car will take on the likes of Hyundai i20 Active and Volkswagen Cross Polo.
The Freestyle will mark the debut of Ford’s 1.2-litre, three-cylinder Dragon engine which is derived from the 1.5-litre unit. The diesel engine will be the same 1.5-litre unit used in the regular Figo. Ford has officially unveiled the vehicle in India.
Tata Tigor JTP
Tata showcased the performance sedan, Tigor JTP at the Auto Expo. The car has been developed with the Jayem Auto and will be launched in the Indian market. The Tigor JTP will be the cheapest hot sedan available in the Indian market. It gets a lowered suspension, new air dams, air scoops on the bonnet, new smoked headlamps and a body kit. The body kit consists of side-skirt and rear diffuser.
The car uses the same 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine that goes into the Nexon but additional changes have been done to the intake and the exhaust system to improve the performance. The power output is rated at 108 Bhp and 150 Nm and it gets the 5-speed manual transmission.
Tata Tiago JTP
Tata earlier confirmed that they are working on a hot version of the Tiago instead of the Bolt. The Tiago JTP was finally showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo. The hot hatch also carries the similar changes like the Tigor JTP. It gets smoked headlamps, bonnet scoops, body kit and rear diffuser. Tata has also painted the ORVMs in a contrasting red colour and the roof in black colour to add a sporty look. Engine-wise, the car will be powered by the same 1.2-litre REVOTRON turbo-petrol engine that powers the Nexon. It generates similar 108 Bhp and 150 Nm in the JTP twins.
Tata Nexon AMT
Tata has showcased the long-awaited Nexon AMT at the 2018 Auto Expo. The AMT will be available with both petrol and diesel engine options and an extra of around Rs. 50,000 is expected over the regular models. However, both the AMT variants of the Nexon will be priced below Ford EcoSport AT and Mahindra TUV 300 AMT.
The engine out will remain unchanged and the cars will continue to be powered by a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine. All the features are also expected to remain same.
Maruti Brezza petrol
The Maruti Brezza is another highly anticipated car in the Indian market. The Brezza was launched only with a diesel engine with manual transmission and Maruti had expressed that will launch a petrol powered Brezza in the future.
The car will be powered by the same 1.0-litre three-cylinder Boosterjet engine that powers the Baleno RS in the current lineup. It is expected to produce around 110 Bhp. It will be the second SUV in the segment that will be powered by a turbocharged petrol engine after the Nexon petrol.
Jeep Compass Trailhawk
Jeep Compass has become the best selling vehicle in the segment. The American manufacturer is now planning to bring the Trailhawk, which is the more adventurous version of the vehicle in India. The car has been already spied at a dealer stockyard and is expected to be launched soon.
The car will be powered by the 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine that generates a maximum power of 170 Bhp – 350 Nm. It gets a 9-speed automatic transmission and many off-road friendly aids. The Trailhawk version gets Jeep’s Active Drive low-range 4WD, hill descent and a new Rock Mode that makes the vehicle more capable.
Jeep Compass diesel AT
Jeep’s production line is running on full steam in India. The American brand has been working to launch the Diesel Automatic variant of the SUV but could not do so because of the production capacity. There will be no changes to the diesel engine, which is a 2.0-litre multijet unit and produces 171 Bhp and 350 Nm. The automatic transmission will be a 9-speed unit from ZF.
Mitsubishi Outlander
Mitsubishi will launch the all-new Outlander in India in April. The CR-V competitor offers 7-seats and looks quite different. The India-spec Outlander is expected to be powered by a petrol only engine. The SUV will get 2.4-litre MIVEC naturally aspirated engine that produces a maximum of 169 Bhp and 225 Nm. A CVT will 6-stepped shifts will be offered and it will also get an all-wheel-drive system.
Mahindra TUV Plus
Mahindra has already started delivering TUV 300 Plus in a few cities. The car is yet to be launched in the other parts of the country. The TUV 300 Plus is an extended wheelbase version of the TUV 300 and is expected to replace the Mahindra Xylo.
The longer body now measures at 4.4-meters and it gets three rows of seats that can seat up to 9 people depending on the configuration chosen by the customer. The car is powered by a 2.2-litre mHawk turbocharged diesel engine that generates a maximum of 120 Bhp – 280 Nm. The prices in Trichy, TN starts at Rs. 9.46 lakh, ex-showroom.
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque convertible
Land Rover will launch a one of its kind SUV convertible in India on 27th March. The Evoque’s convertible version will attract a lot of people because of its dramatic looks. The car gets an electrically operated fabric roof that takes about 20 seconds to fold or open. It will be powered by 2.0-litre Ingenium petrol engine that produces a maximum of 240 Bhp and 340 Nm. It gets a 9-speed transmission.
Volkswagen Vento Sport and Polo Pace launched
Volkswagen India, the Indian subsidiary of the popular German car manufacturer, has launched limited editions of the Vento and the Polo. Dubbed as the Volkswagen Vento Sport and the Polo Pace, the latest special variants come equipped with visual updates that inject some freshness into the design.
The new Volkswagen Vento Sport has a starting price of Rs 11.44 lakh (for 1.6 MPI engine variant). The 1.2 TSI engine variant costs Rs 12.79 lakh. The 1.5 TDI costs Rs 12.79 lakh for the manual transmission variant and Rs 14.17 lakh for the DSG automatic variant. The new car is on sale with benefits of Rs 1,20,000. Furthermore, you can exchange and loyalty benefits of up to Rs 20,000. The Volkswagen Vento Sport sits above the Highline Plus trim. Prices of the Polo Pace are yet to be announced. However, the figure should be close to the Rs 7.24 lakh price tag of the Highline Plus model.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Steffen Knapp, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India said, “At Volkswagen, we constantly enhance our product offerings to keep up with the fast-changing trends and consumer aspirations. The Polo and Vento have been amongst our best-selling carlines since its inception in the Indian market. Through continuous value additions in our product portfolio, we aim to give our customers the power of choice.”
The only styling update that the Polo carries is the new set of 15″ diamond-cut alloy wheels. The Vento, on the other hand, gets quite a few styling enhancements for the Sport trim. Here are the new bits of the exterior for the Vento Sport-
- Glossy black spoilers
- Glossy roof foil
- Black carbon finish ORVM
- 16” Portago Alloy wheels
- Stylish side foils
- Chrome Badge “Sport” on Fender
The Polo Pace is available with the new 1.0-litre MPI engine that was introduced recently. The new 1.0 engine replaces the 1.2-litre 3-cylinder MPI petrol engine. The new motor outputs a maximum power of 75 bhp along with a peak torque of 95 Nm. The Vento Sport is available with the 1.6-litre naturally-aspirated petrol, 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol, and 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel engines.
The 1.6-litre, 4-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine of the Vento offers a maximum power of 103 bhp @ 5250 rpm and a peak torque of 153 Nm @ 3800 rpm. It comes mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The 1.2 TSI variant is powered by a 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder, turbocharged TSI that comes mated to 7-speed DSG automatic transmission. The engine outputs a maximum power of 103 bhp @ 5000 RPM and a peak torque of 175 Nm @ 1500 rpm. The Diesel variants feature a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, turbocharged TDI diesel engine that produces a maximum power of 103 bhp @ 4400 RPM and a peak torque of 250 Nm @ 1500 RPM. The engine comes mated to a 5-speed manual transmission as standard and a 7-speed DSG automatic transmission as optional.
[“Source-cartoq”]
