The August month can turn around the fortunes for the glooming Indian auto industry with a host of launches scheduled
The upcoming August month is going to be crucial for the Indian automotive industry as the negative buyer’s sentiments could be negated thanks to a slew of new car launches scheduled by various car makers. Ahead of the beginning of the festive month in India, carmakers like Kia Motors will make its India debut with the Seltos, while Hyundai will bring its new Grand i10 hatchback.
Luxury carmaker BMW will also jump the wagon with the popular 3-Series sedan. On the other hand, Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest carmaker will also launch a car after a while, as does Tata Motors. We have compiled a list of all the upcoming new cars in the month of August 2019
1. Kia Seltos
Kia Motors will launch the Seltos mid-SUV on 22nd August and ahead of its launch, the Seltos garnered 6,046 bookings within a day of announcing the commencement of pre-bookings. The world’s 8th largest automaker recently revealed the Seltos at a global premiere in Delhi and will make the Seltos available in two trims – GT Line and Tech Line across 13 colour options, 8 monotone paint scheme and 5 dual-tone paint scheme.
There will be 3 engine options and 4 gearbox options to choose from. Kia Seltos comes packed with many segment-first features such as UVO connected technology with 37 smart features, 8.0-inch Head-up display, 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, ventilated & power-adjustable seats, Bose 8-speaker system, and ambient mood lighting.
Manufactured at the company’s Andhra Pradesh based facility, the Kia Seltos competes against Hyundai Creta, upcoming Maruti Suzuki Creta, Tata Harrier and MG Hector among others and is expected to get a price range of Rs 11-17 lakh (ex-showroom).
2. Maruti Suzuki XL6
Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest carmaker will introduce XL6, an Ertiga based 6-seater MPV, which many were calling the Ertiga Cross – a more rugged variant of the popular car. The XL6 gets a new front fascia, with a bigger front grille, roof rails, higher ground clearance, machine-finished alloy wheels and use of black cladding that gives it a muscular look.
The biggest change is inside the cabin where there’s an all-black theme and leather-wrapped 6-seats. The XL6 will continue to be powered by the same 1.5-litre petrol engine as the standard Ertiga i.e. a BS-IV K15 Smart Hybrid petrol engine delivering 104.6 PS and 138 Nm.
The DDiS 225 1.5-litre diesel engine on offer currently will not make its way to the XL6. However, the petrol unit will be upgraded to a BS-VI one. The engine will get a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed auto gearbox. The XL6 will be sold through the Nexa range of dealerships rather than the standard Arena showrooms.
3. Renault Triber
Renault will start their second innings in India with the Triber modular MPV that was showcased last month at a global premiere event held in New Delhi. The Triber MPV is an affordable and modular vehicle that will be stacked in between the Kwid and the Duster and will be a seven-seater MPV with a modular cabin where the third row of seat can be removed.
Being modular means one can adjust the seats in 100 different configurations and there’s an option to fully remove the third-row seats to create a mammoth 625-litre of boot space with 5 people in the cabin. The Renault Triber will be powered by a 1-litre 3 cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine with 72 bhp of power and 96 Nm of peak torque, the same engine powering the Kwid 1.0 variant.
The engine will be mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and a 5-speed automated manual transmission (AMT) will be offered as an option. The Renault will have an expected price tag of Rs 4.5 lakh (ex-showroom).
4. Hyundai Grand i10
It’s been long since Hyundai updated its popular Grand i10 hatchback that competes against the Maruti Suzuki Swift and Ford Figo. Hyundai will now launch the all-new Grand i10 for the Indian and the global markets.
The new Grand i10 will take its design cues from the new-age Hyundai vehicles with design elements like a large cascade grille at the front, which looks similar to the Hyundai Venue, new headlamps with integrated DRLs and aggressively designed bumper with small fog lamps inserted in them.
Inside the cabin, there will be a host of changes including a new dashboard design, new touchscreen infotainment system with possible BlueLink connected technology, added safety features and better material used inside the cabin.
With the launch, Hyundai Grand i10 can become the company’s first BS-VI car and Hyundai will most likely continue selling the same set of petrol and diesel engines with a manual and AMT gearbox, replacing the regular automatic.
5. BMW 3-Series
The only luxury car on this list is the seventh-generation BMW 3-Series sedan that will be launched on August 21. The new 3-Series is longer than the current model and the wheelbase is also more which means there’s a lot of space for the rear passengers. BMW has also reduced the weight to improve its performance.
The new 3-Series draws its inspiration from the BMW 8-Series, which means it will have larger kidney grille, self-levelling hub caps and new wraparound tail lamps. Inside the cabin will be an 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with BMW’s Intelligent Personal Assistant and navigation, all-digital instrument console with a HUD, and more.
The 2019 BMW 3-Series will be powered by 2.0-Litre and 3.0-Litre turbocharged petrol and diesel engines paired to an 8-speed Steptronic transmission.
6. All-Black Tata Harrier:
With MG Hector already in the picture and the Kia Seltos arriving on August 22, Tata Motors, in response, will be introducing the black edition of the Harrier next month. It comes with a glossy black colour scheme, blackened 17-inch alloy wheels, skid plate at the front, rear bumper with matte silver element and chromed window line.
The interior gets black leather upholstery in place of the brown upholstery alongside matte grey panel on the dashboard. The Impact Design 2.0 based Harrier has a striking visual presence but the all-black theme takes it to the next level, which we expected right from the beginning. No mechanical changes will be implemented.