New Cars for 2015: Hatchbacks

Maruti Suzuki S-Cross

Expected time of launch: Early 2015

Expected price: Rs 6-9 Lakhs

Maruti Suzuki’s highly awaited crossover, the S-Cross will be launched in India in the last week of January 2015. The S-Cross will cater to the hot and highly lucrative crossover market that seems to have fancied major auto players across the board. The Maruti-Suzuki S-Cross will be available with both petrol and diesel options with alternative fuel versions planned subsequently.

In Europe, the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross is available with a 1.6-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine, which produces 120PS of peak power and 156Nm of peak torque. The S-Cross also gets a 1.6-litre diesel engine with 120PS and 320Nm of torque. Where the petrol is mated to a tried and tested 5-speed gearbox, the diesel motor is mated to a rather more practical 6-speed gearbox option. We expect these engines to be retained or be replaced by the 1.4-litre petrol and the 1.3-litre diesel motors that do duty in the Ertiga. The Suzuki S-Cross also comes equipped with an optional four-wheel-drive system, along with a four driving modes. We doubt if Maruti will launch these features in India.

Maruti Suzuki YRA

Expected time of launch: Mid 2015

Expected price: Rs 6-9 Lakhs

The YRA will be Maruti Suzuki’s answer to the likes of the Hyundai i20 Elite, the Honda Jazz and the Volkswagen Polo. Essentially, it is a larger hatchback than the Swift currently is and will cater to a slightly premium audience. Under the hood, the YRA is expected to be powered by a 1.2-litre and a 1.4-litre petrol mill from the Swift and the Ertiga; along with the 1.3-litre diesel mill.

From the looks of it, it seems like Suzuki will continue the family design language from the Swift and the Swift DZire. The YRA too will have triangular swept back headlights and the curvy bonnet smoothly blending into the front grille. The large honeycomb grille also gets a u-shaped chrome surround. Although the overall styling of the bumper is conventional, it does get large air-intakes, fog lamp inserts and a vertical strip of Daytime Running Lamps.

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Honda Jazz

Expected time of launch: Early 2015

Expected Price: Rs 5-9 lakh

The old Honda Jazz one of our most favourite hatchbacks due to its cavernous space and fantastic 1.2 Litre i-VTEC engine. A humongous price tag and the lack of a diesel engine though was the reason for it’s eventual downfall and even after Honda cut prices, it still did not sell. Now though, with Honda’s new 1.5-litre diesel i-DTEC engine combined with the Jazz’s new edgy Euro Civic type looks, it is all set to take the Indian market by storm. Honda has to ensure they price the Jazz well this time around so as to attract the Volkswagen Polo and Suzuki Swift customer. The New Jazz will also feature a 1.2 Litre i-Vtec petrol engine like the one featured in the Brio. Expect the Jazz to come very highly equipped in terms of features with a lot of shared components to the Honda City. Expect the Jazz to be launched in the first half of January.

Hyundai Eon Facelift

Expected time of launch: Mid 2015

Expected Price: Rs 3-5 lakh

The Hyundai Eon has been a pretty sucessful car for the Korean automotive giant with its puny proportions, interesting interior and good mechanical attributes. In it's class, the Eon even look the most interesting with its 'fluidic' design language and tall boy design. The Eon though is due for an upgrade soon though. With slightly new exteriors and interiors, expect the Eon to get a good dose of added chrome on the outside and a feature packed infotainment system like the ones we have seen on other Hyundai cars recently. Mechanically, the Eon might also get the 1.1-litre diesel engine that does duty in the likes of the Grand i10 making it a direct competitor to the upcoming Tata Nano diesel. 

Tata Nano Diesel

Expected time of launch: Mid 2015

Expected price: Rs 1.5-2.5 lakh

The Tata Nano has fizzled out both in terms of popularity and in terms of sales figures in recent times due to several issues. Predominantly, Tata’s positioning as the ‘cheap car’ may be to blame for the long-term failure of the Nano. The Nano though is not a bad car for what it costs and the new updated Nano that was launched a few months ago has incredible fit and finish considering how cheap it actually is. Mechanically though, with the exceptions of small improvements in certain areas, the Nano has remained unchanged since launch. Although there have been rumours of a bigger engine with a turbocharger on the cards too, the first upgrade that we will see to the Nano is the addition of the AMT gearbox.

Although there have been very strong rumors to suggest that the Nano Diesel project has been internally scrapped due to Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) issues, the time and money spent on the project will ensure that the Nano Diesel will see light of day. The New Nano will also receive a facelifted front and rear bumper and will see a slight redesign in the headlights and tail lights as well. The new Nano will also feature an operable tailgate for east access to both the boot and the engine compartment.

Tata Bolt

Expected time of launch: Early 2015

Expected price: Rs 4.5-7 lakh

There is no denying the fact that the Tata Bolt is a smart looking car. With it’s Zest inspired looks and its well styled interior, the Bolt is a hatchback that can really push some much needed adrenaline into the Tata Motors portfolio. We recently drove the Tata Bolt and came out pleasantly surprised to find out how good it actually is as compared to the older Tata Vista.

The Bolt will be powered by a 1.3-litre diesel engine and the new turbocharged 1.2-litre Revotron turbo petrol engine. Expect the Bolt to do  very well in the Indian market and be priced sensibly as Tata always has.

Ford Figo hatchback

Expected time of launch: mid 2015

Expected price: Rs 4-6.5 lakh

The Ford Figo is one of the biggest launches of next year. With the current Figo being outmatched and outclassed by all of its competitors, the new Figo will be a definite breath of fresh air. We expect the Figo to be priced extremely competitively as the Ecosport is and to help bring Ford back in the spotlight.

Mechanically, the 2015 Ford Figo compact sedan is expected to come with engine options which include - a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine or the 1.0-litre EcoBoost turbo-petrol. A 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine will also do its duty in the 2015 Ford Figo hatchback.

Skoda Fabia

Expected time of launch: Mid 2015

Expected price: Rs 5-8 lakh

The Skoda Fabia has been as it is for almost half a decade now and is next in line for Skoda’s nip/tuck treatment. Although the Fabia still looks fresh, the new Fabia will take cues from the likes of the Skoda Superb and the Skoda Octavia and will feature much sharper styling. As most petrolheads do, we hope Skoda brings the Fabia RS to India with its mean styling and power packed motor but that is quite unlikely. The Fabia will be priced to go on head to head with the likes of the Suzuki Swift and will come with both a petrol and diesel power plant that will be carried forward from the current generation of the Fabia.

Volkswagen Beetle:

Expected time of launch: Early 2015

Expected price: Rs 30 lakh

The new Volkswagen Beetle will soon be unveiled in India much to the delight of fairer sex who have always adored this car. The New Beetle features surprisingly masculine (sort of) styling with wider and more hunkered down wheel arches as compared to the older car. The New Volkswagen Beetle is 84 mm wider, 12 mm lower and 152 mm longer than the last one, which has resulted in entirely new proportions.

This gain in length and change in proportions means that the overall form of the new Beetle now represents the one seen on the original Beetles more than ever. The extended roof and raked front windscreen also means that the overall contours have changed, resulting in obvious similarities to the original Beetle. Expect the Beetle to be priced around the Rs 30 lakh mark and expect the Beetle to be available in both a Coupé and Cabriolet version.