Vicky.in Blog

The refreshed i20 christened the i-Gen i20 has been launched by Hyundai in India. The new i20 also gets the company’s fluidic design sculpture featuring a hexagonal grille and the slimmer headlights. Available in both petrol and diesel variants, the petrol variant alone comes in two engine options.

The petrol variant is powered by a new 1.2-litre Kappa petrol engine with Dual VTVT delivering 84bhp of power and a 1.4-litre Gamma petrol engine delivering 98bhp of peak power. The 1.2-litre and the 1.4-litre petrol engines are mated to a five-speed manual and a five-speed automatic transmissions respectively. The diesel variant of the new i20 is powered by a 1.4-litre CRDi diesel engine coupled with a six-speed manual transmission and it delivers 88bhp of peak power.

The changes in the front part include a much wider chin and the re-styled housings for the fog lamps. Likewise, the rear changes include a new bumper and re-profiled tail lamps. The car also features turn indicators on the wing mirrors and a new eight-spoke alloy-wheel design.

The third-gen Santa Fe of Hyundai is expected to be launched in this year end or by early 2013. The main attraction in the car will be its new “Storm Edge” design which is the new fluidic design theme of Hyundai. It will be holding a lot of goodies along with an upgraded diesel engine. Stay tuned to get more details of new Santa Fe.

Click here to see more Pictures of Hyundai’s new Santa Fe

It is expected that the Ritz facelift could be launched soon along with the new Ertiga. The new facelifted Ritz will also feature the same 1.2-litre K-series petrol engine and the 1.3-litre multijet diesel engine. The other upgraded features of the new Ritz include

i) New bumper

ii) New grille

iii) Upgraded headlamps

iv) Beige-coloured interiors

v) New design front seats

The newly designed front seats offer more space to the rear passengers. However, there are no major changes seen in the rear part. Expect the launch of the new Ritz facelift soon in India.

Skoda plans to introduce two new global SUVs based on VW’s AO platform within two years. The two new SUVs will be placed below and above Skoda Yeti. The first new SUV of Skoda will be built on the basis of Volkswagen’s upcoming compact SUV and is to be priced slightly lower than that of it. It will be powered by an all-new 1.5-litre diesel engine and a direct-injection petrol engine. The second one is expected to be based on the new Touareg SUV of Volkswagen. However, the styling cues, quality and the performance of this SUV will be completely based on Skoda. The price of the SUV will be lower than Volkswagen Touareg.

The all-new Sonata has been launched by Hyundai at a starting price of Rs.18.53 lakhs. The car features Hyundai’s fluidic design sculpture and is available in both six-speed manual and automatic variants. The manual variant is priced Rs.18.53 lakhs while the automatic variant is priced Rs.20.61 lakhs. It is powered by a 2.4-litre GDI petrol engine delivering a peak power of 198bhp at 6300rpm. Along with the ABS and EBD, the dual-front, side and curtain airbags and the rear-view camera also stand as its safety features. The all-new Sonata will toughly compete with Honda Accord and Skoda Superb. The other standard features of the new Sonata include

i) 17-inch alloy wheels

ii) HID headlamps with washer

iii) LED tail-lamps

iv) Push button start

v) Dual-tone beige interiors

vi) Leather wrapped steering wheel

vii) Cruise control

viii) Power seats

ix A double-din Audio player with an in-dash six-CD changer

The Renault version of Nissan Sunny has been christened the “Scala”. The company plans to launch it in the second half of this year. Just like the Renault Pulse which is the re-badged Micra, the Scala also will hold only some cosmetic changes such as the modified bumper and the grille. There will not be any other mechanical changes and hence it is expected that Scala will be powered by the same 1.5-litre diesel engine of Sunny. However, the details about the launching of the petrol variant of Scala and its engine range is unknown. It seems that Renault will price the Scala higher than that of Sunny.

Showing its response to the annual budget hike, HSCI has increased the prices of its models. The new ex-showroom (Delhi) prices of the Honda models are as follows:

Honda Brio:

i) Brio E MT – Rs. 3,99,000

ii) Brio S MT – Rs. 4,40,000

iii) Brio S(O) MT – Rs. 4,95,000

iv) Brio V MT – Rs. 5,20,000

Honda Jazz:

i) Jazz – Rs. 5,75,000

i) Jazz Select – Rs. 5,99,000

i) Jazz X – Rs. 6,31,000

Honda City:

i) City Corporate – Rs. 7,09,500

ii) City E MT – Rs. 7,75,000

iii) City S MT – Rs. 8,26,500

iv) City V MT – Rs. 8,78,250

v) City V AT – Rs. 9,51,000

vi) City V MT(Sunroof) – Rs. 9,60,250

vii) City V AT(Sunroof) – Rs. 1,033,000

Honda Civic:

i) Civic S MT – Rs. 1,258,600

ii) Civic V MT – Rs. 1,362,700

iii) Civic V AT – Rs. 1,440,600

iv) Civic V MT(Sunroof) – Rs. 1,410,100

v) Civic V AT(Sunroof) – Rs. 1,487,900

Honda Accord:

i) Accord 2.4 MT – Rs. 2,028,500

ii) Accord 2.4 AT – Rs. 2,107,600

iii) Accord 3.5 V6 AT – Rs. 2,737,185

Following the launch of Pajero Sport and the upgraded seven-seater Outlander, Mitsubishi is now ready to launch its 2012 Montero model in India. The exact launching details are not yet known but is expected soon. The Indian version of Montero does not hold any major changes when compared to the other markets and there are only minor upgrades which include a new front grille with chrome accents, new design bumper and an updated interiors. The Montero is expected at an aggressive price tag. Stay tuned to get more details of 2012 Mitsubishi Montero.

Volkswagen plans to launch the petrol variant of its new Jetta sedan in the month of April in India. The new Jetta Petrol will be powered by a 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine churning out a peak power of 120bhp. This smaller-capacity turbocharged petrol engine of Jetta will offer a good performance along with a better fuel economy. It is expected that Volkswagen may price it aggressively but below the price tag of Skoda Laura in order to compete it toughly. The major competitors of the new VW Jetta Petrol will be Honda Civic, Skoda Laura, Toyota Corolla Altis and Renault Fluence. Expect the launch of the new Jetta Petrol in April.

Mirage, the new small car of Mitsubishi is planning to hit the Indian roads soon. The light-weight Mirage has two engine ranges and also has a very good fuel efficiency. It features start-stop system along with low-friction tyres. It can accommodate around five adults.

Click here to see more Pictures of Mitsubishi Mirage