Top 7 Luxury Car Launches Of 2020 – Land Rover Defender To Audi Q2

Land Rover Defender - PHEV - 1

Before 2020 ends, let’s take a look at the top seven luxury cars that were launched in the Indian market this year

The Indian automobile industry, went through the worst sales slump in its history this year. Thankfully, we’ve seen a remarkable recovery, but most of the ups and downs were limited to the lower end of the market. The luxury end of the market was largely unaffected, as sales numbers were always low to begin with.

A lot of new luxury vehicles entered the Indian market this year, from carmakers like Audi, BMW, Land Rover, and Mercedes-Benz. With the end of 2020 approaching, let’s take a look at our pick of the top seven among these.

1. Land Rover Defender

Price: Rs. 73.98 lakh to Rs. 90.46 lakh

Land Rover launched the new-generation Defender in India this year, in two versions – 90 (three-door) and 110 (five-door). The SUV features an old-school, boxy design, and offers great off-road capabilities along with a lot of premium equipment.

2020 LandRover Defender-9

Unlike the older Defender, the new model has a monocoque chassis, but the company states that this is the strongest chassis they’ve built yet. The Defender is currently available with just a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, that generates 295 PS and 145 Nm. However, the plug-in hybrid variant (408 PS and 640 Nm) is set to arrive in India soon.

2. 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS

Price: Rs. 99.90 lakh

The second-generation Mercedes GLS SUV also arrived in India earlier this year. The SUV received a new platform and grew a little in size, which liberates more interior space as well. The cabin gets a dual-screen cockpit design, which further elevates the premium factor of the vehicle.

2020 Mercedes Benz GLS-7

The new GLS is available in two variants – 400d 4MATIC and 450 4MATIC. The former has a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine under the hood, which belts out 328 PS and 700 Nm, while the latter gets a 3.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, with 365 PS and 500 Nm on tap.

3. Mercedes-Benz GLE

Price: Rs. 73.70 lakh to Rs.1.2 crore

The second-generation GLE was also launched in India this year. It borrows a lot of design details from its larger sibling, the GLS, especially in terms of exterior styling. It also gets a dual-screen cockpit design (digital instrument console and infotainment touchscreen mounted in shared housing).

2020 Mercedes Benz GLE Exterior

The Mercedes GLE gets three engine options. The first one is a 2.0-litre diesel motor, which develops 244 PS and 500 Nm. The second one is a 3.0-litre diesel unit, which generates 330 PS and 700 Nm. The last one is a 3.0-litre turbocharged petrol mill, which belts out 366 PS and 500 Nm.

4. Mercedes-Benz EQC

Price: Rs. 99.30 lakh

Mercedes EQC is the first EV by the German carmaker for the Indian market, and it is a brilliant one for sure. The SUV gets a lot of premium tech, and the dual-screen cockpit is the highlight of the cabin. Mercedes-Benz has also opened up over 100 charging points across 48 cities in India, to help improve the EV infrastructure.

Mercedes-Benz EQC Edition 1886

The vehicle gets two electric motors, one on each axle, which draw power from an 80 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The peak power and torque are rated at 406 PS and 700 Nm, respectively, and the driving range of the vehicle is reported at around 470 km.

5. BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe

Price: Rs. 39.30 lakh to Rs. 42.30 lakh

The 2-Series Gran Coupe is the most affordable four-door sedan in the company’s range. Unlike what the name suggests, the 2-Series Gran Coupe isn’t based on the 2-Series coupe, but shares its platform with the 1-Series hatchback instead.

bmw 2 series gran coupe-2

Despite the relatively small size, there is decent interior space on offer here. The vehicle only has a 2.0-litre diesel engine (190 PS and 400 Nm) on offer at the moment, but a petrol-powered variant is expected to arrive next year.

6. Audi Q2

Price: Rs. 34.99 lakh to Rs. 48.89 lakh

Audi also decided to cater to Indian buyers at the lower end of the spectrum, with the launch of the Q2. This little crossover is the most affordable SUV in Audi India’s lineup, and consequently, its equipment level isn’t too high, still, it is quite a handsome vehicle inside-out.

audi q2 india-1

Interestingly, Audi decided to launch the pre-facelift version of the Q2 in India, rather than the latest model. The vehicle is available with a single engine option – a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine – which develops 190 PS of maximum power and 320 Nm of peak torque.

7. Audi Q8

Price: Rs. 98.98 lakh to Rs. 1.33 crore

Audi also introduced its flagship SUV in India during 2020, the Q8. The vehicle has massive dimensions and an extremely aggressive exterior design, which lend it great road presence. Of course, the interior is as stylish as the exterior, and the features on offer are massively impressive.

Flagship 2019 Audi Q8 SUV Makes Public Debut; India Launch Likely In 2019 3

Audi has decided not to offer diesel engines on any of its cars. As such, the Q8 is powered only by a 3.0-litre TFSI petrol engine, which pushes out 343 PS and 500 Nm of peak power and torque, respectively.