Weekly Car News Fix: Car Launch Delays, Global Debuts, And The Surprise Exit Of Tata’s Global Design Head

The final week of April 2021 saw a vast mix of news dominating headlines in the auto industry. The topics ranged from car launch delays, international unveils, Kia launches, to a key figurehead parting ways with Tata. Here’s more about them in detail:

COVID-19 Delays Launches

 

The second wave of COVID-19 had hit India pretty hard with curfews being implemented across the country. As a result, it has led to Hyundai and Volkswagen delaying the launch of their vehicles. For the former, it was the Alcazar that was originally scheduled for the end of this month. For the latter, it was the facelifted 5-seater VW Tiguan was expected to launch by early May.

Kia’s Launches For May

 

Kia has kicked off its new brand identity in India, with the launch of the 2021 Sonet and Seltos. Aside from the new monogram, both SUVs will get changes that include new features, a rejigged variant lineup and some changes to the automatic combinations on offer.

Pratap Bose And Tata Part Ways

It’s still difficult to believe, but a bombshell was dropped this week when it was announced that Pratap Bose, Global Design Head of Tata Motors will be leaving the company after working for 14 years with them. Pratap Bose was a key figurehead for Tata Motors over this time period, as he transformed and brought Tata’s portfolio of hatchbacks, sedans, SUV, and even CVs together into one family. For more on Pratap Bose’s journey at Tata and who’ll take over his role, head here.

2022 Honda Civic Breaks Cover

Honda finally unveiled the 11th iteration of the Civic sedan in full with all the details of its specs and interiors. This generational update brings over a cleaner design, a minimalistic interior, bucketloads of tech and carryover powertrains, which you can read more about here. 

BS6 Isuzu D-Max V-Cross Details Leaked

As we await the launch of the BS6-compliant D-Max V-Cross expected in the coming weeks, details regarding variant-wise features and what’s under the hood surfaced online. The pickup will have two variants on offer and will retain its 1.9-litre diesel engine, albeit with a BS6 upgrade and a power buff. To know more about what to expect for the pickup, head here.

Volkswagen ID.4 GTX Debuts

This week certainly gave the spotlight to performance-focused models in markets abroad, starting with Volkswagen unleashing the spicier ID.4 GTX electric SUV. The upgrades include a more potent dual-motor AWD powertrain setup, and a range of cosmetic changes to make it more menacing. Head here to know more about what’s sportier in the VW ID.4 GTX.

Spicier Hyundai Kona N Unleashed

Another performance machine for this week was the Hyundai Kona N, debuting as the carmaker’s first N-badged SUV. In true ‘N’ fashion, the Kona N gets a beefy turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol mill, nifty chassis trickery, as well as a sportier body and cabin. To know more about the performance-focused Kona, head here.