Car News Of The Week: 2019 Corolla, Alturas G4, 2018 Ertiga, New BMW & Mercedes Launches And More

2019 Toyota Corolla Altis Showcased in China

Toyota has taken the wraps off of the new sedan version of its bestseller, the Corolla in China. Likely to be called the 2019 Corolla Altis when it eventually makes its way to India, it promises to ruffle quite a few feathers in the segment.

The sedan is based on the same TNGA platform that also underpins the hatchback and the estate version of the Corolla that’s sold in European markets. This means that it is longer, and wider compared to the current car.

Under the hood of the new Corolla lies Toyota’s new ‘Dynamic Force’ engine. The US-spec version makes a healthy 170PS of power and 200Nm of torque. There's a hybrid version as well, figures for which have not been officially disclosed. But, we expect it to make around 145PS and 180Nm. As expected, the i-CVT automatic is on offer over the usual 6-speed manual. Toyota plans on introducing the Corolla Hybrid in over 90 countries, which means the India-spec Altis is likely to feature this motor as well. More details on the new Corolla here.
 
Mahindra Alturas G4 features revealed ahead of launch

Mahindra has announced more details about the Alturas G4 in the runup to its launch on 24 November 2018. Mahindra has stated that the Alturas G4 will be priced in the Rs 30 lakh+ SUV segment, which should put it up against the Mitsubishi Outlander and the Skoda Kodiaq and completely gloss over the popular Ford Endeavour and the Toyota Fortuner.

• 8-way powered driver seat with memory function
• Dual-zone fully-automatic climate control
• 9 airbags
• ‘3D’ (a system also seen on BMW cars) 360-degree surround view parking camera

Mahindra is expected to keep revealing details from time to time till it launches the Alturas G4. Here is our complete report.

Maruti Ertiga bookings open, launch soon

Maruti Suzuki is set to launch the all-new Ertiga on November 21 and with the bookings now open for a token of Rs 11,000, Maruti has revealed the exterior and interior features of the upcoming MPV through a series of videos.

Meanwhile, a couple of images of an undisguised Ertiga that have emerged online have revealed various details of the interiors too.

Not only will the new Ertiga be bigger than the outgoing model, it will also feature Maruti’s new K15 petrol engine along with the tried and tested fiat-sourced diesel. The mild hybrid system will now be present on both fuel options.

There will be 10 variants to choose from, six petrol (including two automatic transmission-equipped variants) and four diesel. And we expect the Ertiga to be competitively priced. Check out the complete details here.

Mahindra readies S201 electric for 2020 launch

Mahindra is set to take a step forward in the Indian EV market by launching an all-new sub-compact electric SUV in 2020. The electric SUV will be based on the upcoming SUV codenamed the S201, which is based on the same platform as the Ssangyong Tivoli, and will be the carmaker’s first extended-range electric vehicle with a range of around 250km.

BMW has announced the launch of the M2 Competition in India. The car is priced at Rs 79.90 lakh (ex-showroom India) and looks like an M car should. It features a sharp nose and a muscular bonnet complemented by large air intakes at the front.

It is powered by a 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six turbocharged engine that produces 410PS of max power and 550Nm of peak torque. It sprints from standstill to 100kmph in just 4.2 seconds, while the top speed has been limited to 250kmph.
The M2 Competition is the most affordable M car in India and you can see the full report here.

New Mercedes-Benz CLS launched, C-Class petrol to follow soon

The sharper-looking, all-new Mercedes-Benz CLS 4-door coupe has been launched in India. Available in a single variant, the new CLS is priced at Rs 84.7 lakh. The CLS-Class is the only 4-door coupe in the company’s lineup, joining the likes of the BMW 6 Series GT (Rs 61.8 lakh to Rs 72.7 lakh, ex-Delhi) and Audi A5 Sportback (Rs 55.4 lakh, ex-Delhi) in the 4-door coupe luxury car segment but not directly competing against them.

Meanwhile, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class will soon be available with a petrol engine as well. Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that the petrol C-Class will be launched this month. When it was first launched in India in 2018, the updated C-Class featured a 2.0-litre diesel engine in two states of tune: 194PS and 245PS. Check out the complete story here.

The Kona Electric to have a range of over 300 km

Earlier this year, Hyundai confirmed that it will be bringing the Kona Electric to India in 2019. And now we have learnt that not only will it be assembled in India, it will also have a range of over 300km.

Hyundai will bring the 39.2kWh version to India which will offer 312km of range on a full charge. It will be offered with a home AC charger (slow), which will be included in the cost of the car. Hyundai will also be looking to develop charging infrastructure in partnership with third-party electric solution providers. This will include fast charging outlets at strategic locations and Hyundai dealerships in major cities across the country.
Check out Hyundai’s plan for the Kona here.

Mahindra Scorpio gets new feature loaded S9 variant 

The Mahindra Scorpio has received an all-new feature packed S9 variant. Priced at Rs 13.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the all-new variant gets a tonne of features while being more affordable than the top-spec S11 variant.

Slotted between the top-spec S11 and the S7 variants, the new Scorpio S9 packs most of the features from the more expensive top-end variant. It gets the 5.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with GPS navigation instead of the dual din music system on the S7, automatic climate control instead of regular air conditioning,  and electrical ORVMs with side-turn Indicators instead of the standard OVRMs on the lower end variants.
It will be powered by the 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine that churns out 140PS of power and a hefty 320Nm of torque. Transmission duties are handled by a 6-speed manual gearbox.
Read more on the new S9 variant here.

Hyundai Palisade SUV leaked ahead of LA reveal

Hyundai is readying its first ever full size SUV, called the Palisade, and thanks to some recent spy images that have surfaced online, we now know what it looks like.
The first ever undisguised images of the massive eight-seater from Hyundai are out ahead of the official reveal at the Los Angeles Motor Show on November 28.
A production follow-up to the Hyundai Grandmaster concept, and built on the same platform as the upcoming Kia Telluride, the Palisade will offer seating for eight along with all-wheel-drive capability.

Hyundai is pitching the Palisade as a full-blown luxury SUV, and it will take the flagship space above the much smaller Santa Fe globally.
See what this bohemian SUV from Hyundai looks like here.

BMW unleashes the M340i

After the recent reveal of the new all-new G20-generation 3 Series, BMW has now revealed a new flagship, performance-oriented M340i xDrive variant. And even though is not the full-blown M3, the M prefix has made it the most powerful 3 Series in the current lineup. It borrows some hardcore performance bits from the M division and is powered by a new 3.0-litre straight six-cylinder petrol engine which converts fuel into 374 horses and 500Nm of twisting force!

With a 0-100kmph time of just 4.4seconds, the M 340i is half a second faster than the outgoing models.
It will debut this month at the LA Motor Show and the international market launch is planned in July 2019. Check out all the details here.

So, that about sums it up for this week, stay tuned to ZigWheels for the latest news, views and reviews on everything automotive.