Upcoming new car launches in 2015

August

Ferrari California T – August 26

Ferrari is back in India with a new set of dealers and wants to reintroduce its models in the Country with the new dealerships. So come 26 August, the California T makes it to our shores officially. The Ferrari California T is Ferrari’s first ever front engined V8 car that is also turbocharged. The California T features a 4.3-litre V8 twin-turbo engine that makes 50PS of peak power and a shattering 755Nm of peak torque. There is also a Convertible offering too and we already know it will be priced at Rs 3.3 crore, ex-showroom Mumbai.

September

Land Rover Discovery Sport – September 2

The Discovery Sport will replace the Freelander 2. It goes up against the BMW X3, Volvo XC60, Audi Q5 and the yet to be launched Mercedes-Benz GLE in the midsize luxury SUV segment. Like the GLE, the Discovery Sport gets more off-road tech than the rest of the competition and should appeal to the growing Land Rover customer base in India. The Discovery Sport will get the same 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine with both 180PS and 255PS of peak power. The 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine will also be part of the line up and develops 250PS of peak power. Both engines will be mated to the all-new 9-speed gearbox and will come with a permanent all-wheel-drive system. Expect it to be priced between Rs 45-55 lakh.

Mercedes-AMG C63 S – September 3

It’s raining Mercedes in India in 2015. The AMG C63 S is the German Brand’s 11th car launch this year and the fourth AMG offering. It comes with a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 powerplant that makes 510PS of peak power and 700Nm of peak torque. This is the same new AMG engine that also powers the AMG GT. Thanks to these figures the C 63 S can touch the 100kmph marker from standstill in around 4 seconds and record an electronically limited top-speed of 250kmph. The C63 S goes up against the new BMW M3 and should be priced around the Rs 1.2-1.3 crore mark.

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Mahindra TUV300 – September 10

Mahindra’s fresh salvo at the compact SUV segment comes in form of the TUV300. The TUV300 will feature a 1.5-litre oil burner to make the most out of the excise duty benefits and is expected to develop about 80PS of power. Aside from the powerplant, it will also be based on an all new platform and will be a lot lighter than current Mahindra offerings, so expect better efficiency and more car like driving dynamics. There’s very little information yet but we’ll keep you posted as and when we know more. Expect it to be priced in the Rs 6-8 lakh range.

Ford Figo hatchback

Dates on the launch of the new Figo hatchback will be out soon, but we all know almost everything there needs to be known as it shares all mechanicals and most features with its compact sedan sibling, the Figo Aspire. The petrol powered Figo with a manual gearbox gets a 1.2-litre engine that makes 88PS of peak power and 112Nm of peak torque. The other petrol engine option, a 1.5-litre motor comes exclusively with an automatic gearbox in the Aspire. This engine in the Figo could well make it the hot hatchback that can spruce up the desirability quotient. Making 110PS of peak power and 136Nm of peak torque it is also the most powerful engine on offer. Expect prices to start from Rs 4.25 lakh.

Maruti Ciaz Hybrid

Maruti Suzuki has its eyes set hybrid technology now and the first car from the Maruti stable to receive this tech is the Ciaz. Smart Hybrid Technology by Suzuki (SHVS) is the system the 1.3-litre Maruti Ciaz will come with. A small lithium ion battery will get charged by a brake energy regeneration system to boost fuel economy to about 30kmpl. Expect Maruti to charge about Rs 50,000 more only for the Ciaz SHVS as the company is expected to benefit from the NEMMP scheme that promotes hybrid and electric technology. 

October

Maruti Suzuki New Baleno

It may not be called the Baleno in India after all so don’t write it off. This new car is Maruti’s fresh attack at the premium hatchback segment. It will be positioned above the Swift and takes on the Honda Jazz, Hyundai Elite i20 and Volkswagen Polo in this segment. The Baleno/YRA/waiting-for-a-new-name-hatchback is smartly styled and will come loaded with features much like the Ciaz. Expect the Baleno to get the new 1.0 Boosterjet petrol engine that marks Maruti’s entry into the fast growing turbo petrol engine group. The 1.3-litre diesel from the Ciaz will also be available with the Baleno. It will be officially unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor show in mid-September. Expect the Indian launch in early October to cash in on the festive season. It will be priced from Rs 5.5-8 lakh.

Tata Kite

Tata’s Kite hatchback will be positioned above the Nano and below the Bolt, basically taking on the baton from the Indica. The new Tata Kite will be available in both petrol and diesel engine options. A 1.2-litre petrol engine is expected to do duty under the new Kite. Reports also suggest that the car may come equipped with a new three-cylinder oil-burner. Gearbox options will include a standard 5-speed manual unit, while an automated manual transmission (AMT) could also be offered.

Chevrolet Trailblazer

Chevrolet India has got a new lease of life with a fresh $1 Billion investment directed towards its Indian operation from the parent company. The first production under this new strategy is the Trailblazer SUV, that takes on the new Endeavor and Fortuner. The new Chevrolet Trailblazer will be available in India in 2015 at a price tag of about Rs 20-25 lakh. GM’s all-new family of Duramax four-cylinder turbo-diesel engines will power the Chevrolet Trailblazer, featuring 2.5-litre and 2.8-litre displacements. The 2.8-liter engine makes 180PS of peak power and 470Nm of torque while the 2.5-litre motor will feature 150PS of peak power with 350Nm of torque.

Mercedes-Benz GLE

Post the launch of the C63 S, we believe Mercedes will bring the GLE midsize premium SUV to India, just before the festive season kicks in. the GLE in India will be available with a choice of two diesel engines, the GLE 250d and the GLE 350d. The GLE 250d gets an output of 207Ps of peak power while the GLE 350d makes 262PS of peak power and 620Nm of peak torque. A new 9-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox will send power to all four wheels. The GLE comes with plenty of off-road tech too, unlike softroaders like the BMW X3. Expect it to be priced around the Rs 55-60 lakh mark.

New Audi Q7

If there’s a Q7 coming, every premium SUV buyer takes notice. Such has been the impact of the current Q7, from celebrities to industrialists, the Q7 is a popular SUV. The new Q7 sheds about 325kg of weight and a bit of its predecessor’s imposing character, but it more than makes up on the performance front. Engine options include a petrol 3.0-litre TFSI that churns out 333PS of power and 440Nm of torque and, more importantly for India, the 3.0 TDI diesel powerplant offered in two states of tune – a reasonably powered 218PS and 500Nm standard version and the mighty 272PS and 600Nm tarmac scorcher. All motors come mated to a ZF sourced 8-speed tiptronic transmission.

Post October

Abarth Punto/Abarth Avventura

Fiat recently launched the Abarth 595 Competizione as their flagship product under the high performance Scorpion brand. Following the 595, there will be more accessible pricing and performance though as the Italian carmaker will be launching the Abarth Punto and Abarth Avventura in India close to the festive season. The Abarth Punto will be powered by the same 1.4-litre T-Jet motor that powers the Linea, but the company has upped the power considerably to about 150PS. There’s about 200Nm of torque too making it the first hot hatch that one can buy without shredding your bank account. We’re being told that the Abarth Punto will be aggressively priced, say a slight bit more than you would shell out for a Linea T-Jet and that puts the Abarth Punto right up against a Polo TSI. The Punto however will come with a 5-speed manual transmission, appealing to the enthusiast. The Abarth Avventura launch will follow the Abarth Punto.

Maruti Ertiga Facelift

Maruti Suzuki’s will most likely launch the Ertiga facelift in early 2016. It sports a bolder three slat chrome laden front grille, chrome around the fog lamps and more chrome at the rear above the number plate. Clearly, Maruti Suzuki wants the Ertiga to look more premium than before. The 2015 Ertiga also gets a new and more aggressive bumper. The rear gets taillamp extensions running all the way to the number plate, which will most probably be reflectors. The petrol will be the 1.4-litre 95PS/130Nm mill and the diesel will be the 1.3-litre 90PS/200Nm block. The latter however should come with improved mileage figures. Currently the diesel is rated at 20.77kmpl so expect Maruti to get this number higher. Prices shouldn’t be revised much.

Mercedes-AMG GT

One AMG we’ve all been waiting for is the hot spiritual successor to the SLS AMG. The hot new AMG GT will come to India towards the end of the year and will be the flagship car from Mercedes-Benz. Powering the AMG GT is the new 4.0-litre biturbo V8 in two states of tune - a 510PS version with 650Nm of torque in the AMG GT S and a 462PS/600Nm version for the GT. The AMG mill sends power to the rear wheels via a 7-speed dual clutch gearbox. The 0-100kmph sprint comes in 3.7 seconds and top speed is a hot high 310kmph. Expect the AMG GT to be priced north of the Rs 2 crore mark.

Ford Mustang

Ford’s halo car will aim to add value and enthusiasm into the brand. For the first time on a production Mustang, this is a right hand drive car planned by Ford just so it can enter markets where cars are driven on the right (and correct) side of the road. In addition to heritage, there’s plenty of modern tech now coming with the new Mustang. Gone is the archaic leaf spring rear suspension and now you get independent suspension all round. Styling too is much European influenced despite the typical muscle car cues. Besides the 2.3-litre turbocharged Ecoboost unit, the Mustang also gets a 5.0-litre V8 and a 3.7-litre V6 unit with the choice of six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearboxes. The Mustang will be launched by the end of the year.

BMW X5M

BMW’s next focus on the performance models in its lineup are the SUVs and crossovers. BMW has added a whole host of exterior upgrades that clearly differentiates the car from its regular cousin. The upgrades will include a set of aggressive bumpers with much larger air intakes for the engine, a sportier side skirting and of course a sportier rear bumper with the typically M-Powered quad exhaust pipe setup. The new X5M will also sport huge 20-inch or larger wheels which will also be exclusive only to the M models. The 4.4-litre V8 powering the X5M produces maximum output of 575PS of peak power and a shattering 750Nm of peak torque. It will be priced around the Rs 1.5 crore mark.

BMW X6M

Much like the X5M, the X6M features the same engine and similar upgrades but expect better driving dynamics. The X6M will also include a sportier set of bumpers along with a quad exhaust setup and huge wheels. Mechanical upgrades on both cars (X5M and X6M) will include special M-sport suspension combined with a set of M-sport brakes. The X6M should be priced a shade above the X5M and will have a few extra differentiating factors.

BMW 3 Series facelift

BMW is going to launch the updated 3 Series in India to take on the new C-Class, Jaguar XE and the new Audi A4 that will be launched sometime in 2016. The new car will not feature extensive exterior updates but more subtle ones instead that offer more value than before. The new car will feature LED headlamps and a new LED tail lamp setup with a new design. In terms of mechanical upgrades, the new car will feature a new 340i spec engine that makes 325PS of power, 20PS more than the now defunct 335i and has 447Nm of torque. BMW says that the 340i can do the 0-100 sprint in 4.8 seconds when mated to the 8-speed automatic gearbox. With the 4WD xDrive tech, the sprint is marked at 4.6 seconds. That said, in India, the most popular engine will be the BMW 320d.