Fiat Punto Sports Photo

Fiat Grande Punto 90 HP is one of the most robust and commanding diesel hatchbacks that is currently available in the country. The car comes with 1.3 litre of Multi-jet diesel engine accompanied by variable geometry turbocharger. This engine conveniently churns out 93 PS of maximum power with 209 Nm of maximum torque. This hatchback by Fiat was initially launched in the year of 2010 and came with a price tag of Rs. 6.79 lakh. At that point of time, the excise duty on cars was quite low if compared to today. Therefore, the limited edition of Fiat Punto 90 HP is likely to come with a higher price tag.

Fiat Punto Sports Photo

However, till now there is no confirmation as to what exactly will be the specifications of this limited edition variant of Grand Punto 90 HP will come with. But rumors in the market suggest that the hatchback will be blessed with racing stripes, red stitches on dashboard, black finished roof, rear spoiler, red colored rear view mirrors and new and fresh alloy wheels. For further details on Fiat Grande Punto 90 HP Limited Edition, keep watching this space.

Reva NXR Photo

At the Auto Expo 2012, Mahindra exhibited the Reva NXR variant while the company kept mum on the specifications of the electric car. The details about the car will be revealed during the launch of the car which is expected to be launched during Diwali. New Reva NXR could be priced between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 9 lakh. Reva has only two dealerships in the country and Mahindra could sell it from its dealerships which it is doing right now. Else they can also set up separate dealerships for Reva, however it would be more viable for the auto major to sell it from Mahindra dealership.

Reva NXR Photo

Speculations are rife that Maharashtra government has relieved electric vehicles from paying motor vehicle cess. This move is taken to encourage people residing in metro cities to buy environmental friendly electric cars which will gradually help reducing air pollution. Green cars also aid towards making the crowded cities and metro cities noise free that is why government of Maharashtra has exempted motor vehicle cess on electric cars. By using electric cars, dependency on foreign oil also reduces to a great extent.

Renault Pulse Photo

The petrol Pulse is equipped with a 1.2 liter, 3 –cylinder, petrol powertrain that has calibre to churn peak power of 76 PS. This engine has been shared from Nissan Micra. Both, the Renault Pulse and the Micra are different badged siblings; therefore it is certain that the power churning calibre in both these cars would be the same. Earlier this year, the company introduced this little hatchback with the diesel in-line option at the Auto Expo Delhi 2012.

Renault Pulse Photo

Moreover, the Pulse petrol has been introduced in three variants. The base variant RxE is available at the price tag of Rs. 4.25 lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi), the mid variant, RxL is available at the price tag of Rs. 4.99 lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi) and the top end variant, RxZ is available at the price tag of Rs. 5.55 lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi).

Renault Pulse Photo

The entry level variant of this car has got AC, Driver Airbag and Power Steering, while the mid-variant RxL has got power windows and music system along with the features that are available in the base variant. The RxZ, top end variant has got additional features like Push Button Star, ABS, Automatic Climate Control, Dual Airbags etc.

Renault Pulse Photo

The company has introduced the Pulse petrol in order to snatch the market share from other ruling petrol hatchbacks like Maruti Swift, Ford Figo, Volkswagen Polo and Hyundai i20. With the launch, the company has opened the bookings of Pulse petrol across the nation. Renault might be expecting to strengthen itself in the small car segment with the availability of Pulse in both petrol and diesel engine options.

Maruti A-Star Photo

Details are still kept under the wrap regarding this new diesel engine, but it is being speculated that the 1.3 Liter Fiat Multijet engine could be stripped down to a three cylinder version. GM India’s popular hatchback Chevrolet Beat diesel is equipped with a stripped down version of Fiat’s 1.3 Liter Multijet engine. Under the hood, Bets diesel adorns the 936cc, three cylinder diesel engine which GM has developed mutually with Fiat. Maruti could also follow GM India’s footsteps and develop the downsized small diesel engine based on Fiat’s 1.3 liter diesel engine.

Maruti Alto Photo

The three cylinder turbodiesel engine will be extremely frugal and diesel will add on to the frugality. Amongst the Maruti’s small cars, Maruti A Star and Maruti Estilo are present in petrol variant only. On the other hand Maruti Wagon R is offered in both CNG and LPG variants.  If Maruti’s entry level car is offered in diesel avatar, it sure is going to have an advantage to the Maruti cars which garner decent sales. Maruti’s entry level car, Maruti Alto which already is the bestselling car in the A segment will become invincible with the introduction of the diesel version. Maruti Alto’s arch rival, Tata Nano will also get a diesel heart soon; the diesel trim is expected to come in the Indian car market by 2013. Therefore it becomes more important for Maruti to render a diesel heart to Alto else its counterpart Nano could overpower its sales. If Maruti manages to get a diesel mill before Nano and its latest rival, Hyundai EON, it would definitely have an upper hand over these two entry level hatchbacks. Maruti eyes to make its presence stronger in the A segment, which is loved by the Indian customers.

Maruti 800 Photo

Apart from this, Maruti’s oldest car in India or rather the very first car in India, Maruti 800 got a stiff competition from its sibling, Maruti Zen. Zen came with a host of new features and also had a better exterior looks, thereby leading to a battle within the family as customers started preferring Zen over Maruti 800. After Zen, Maruti launched yet another hatchback christened Maruti Alto that became a revolution over the years. After the induction of Maruti Alto, Zen vanished from the Indian car market and the company had to relaunch Zen with a new name and in a new avatar to revive its sales. However, Maruti is planning to revamp 800 hatchback which will be placed below Alto and as witnessed earlier it could eat away the sales of Alto!

Maruti Wagon R Photo

Another hatchback from Maruti’s stable, Maruti Wagon R was launched in 1999, though the car did not do much damage to the sales figure of its other siblings. After Wagon R, company launched its most popular hatchback till date, Maruti Swift premium hatchback. Maruti stuffed Swift with new and innovative features, the hatchback created hysteria in the domestic market by fuelling Maruti’s sales immensely. However, the car maker once again spawned two more similar hatchbacks in the premium small car segment, these hatchbacks are Maruti Ritz and Maruti A-Star, despite the launch of two new cars, Swift’s image stood intact.

Maruti Swift Photo

However, when the car maker brought the sedan version of Swift, Maruti Swift Dzire sedan, things did go a little haywire. This was about the hatchback segment, but Maruti has also triggered a war in the MPV segment with the launch of its new compact MPV, Maruti Ertiga. Maruti already had Maruti Omni, Maruti Versa and Maruti Eeco in this segment and with the addition of this new member in the MPV division; it could again result in the reduction of sales of its counterpart. Irrespective of having rivals within its stable, Maruti still manages to stay on the number one slot and hopefully will continue to maintain its top slot.

Mahindra Scorpio Photo

The new Scorpio is expected to be more frugal than the current generation Scorpio. W105 is likely to be lighter than the current generation Scorpio that will contribute towards the enhanced fuel economy and performance of the new Scorpio. Net gen Scorpio might be powered with the same engine that powers XUV 500. Mahindra will use the same body-on-frame structure for the new SUV. W105 will have better legroom in second and third row, thanks to the longer wheelbase. The new SUV is also likely to be shipped to other countries as Mahindra eyes to make its presence felt in the International markets too.

Mahindra Verito Photo

Along with a new SUV, Mahindra is also working aggressively to upgrade Mahindra Verito sedan. Spy shots of the sedan have surfaced the internet and imply that the car maker is going to make a lot of changes in the sedan including substantial cosmetic touch ups. Also the auto maker has a compact Verito sedan version up its sleeve which is expected to gun straight against the new Swift Dzire compact sedan which was launched in the domestic market in the month of February. Apart from these, Mahindra is apparently developing a low cost SUV too which is likely to be priced around Rs 4 lakh.

Maruti Swift Photo

Since last seven years, Maruti Alto has been ruling the top spot by selling about 20000 units every month. Even Maruti Swift hatchback manages to sell 20000 units every month. The reason behind Maruti’s Swift success is majorly the introduction of diesel engine that helped it to move up in the market. The boost in the production of diesel engine from Fiat motors has helped Maruti Swift to climb the ladder of success quickly. The huge demand for Maruti Swift diesel has hiked the waiting period from 4 months to six to nine months.

Maruti Swift Photo

However, when price tags are taken into account, Maruti Swift costs more than Maruti Alto, but still Swift has more demand than Alto. The reasons behind the tumbling down in the sales of Maruti Alto are many. The number one reason here is that Alto is only available in CNG and petrol variants. Lack of diesel engine has caused Alto one position. It has been quite some time now that Alto is available in the market; therefore the aging has also affected the rank of Alto in the auto industry. There is a huge competition in the market to Alto. This competition comprise of Hyundai Eon and Tata Nano, which are swiftly grabbing a huge chunk of market share day by day. The high finance rates are also one of the major reasons that Alto dropped down a position.

Maruti Alto Photo

The company has been working hard to amplify its car sales and introduce a new model that would replace its aging Maruti 800. Soon, Maruti Suzuki India will stop the production of M800, which has been in the industry since last 29 years. Now, it will be interesting to see for how long Maruti Swift will sustain this number one position and will it continue to lure the consumers in the same way or not.

Mahindra XUV 500 Photo

Mahindra Bolero was recently launched in a new avatar in the domestic market last year. The new Bolero was rendered in three variants, Mahindra Bolero SLE, Mahindra Bolero SLX and Mahindra Bolero ZLX.  Launched at an aggressive price of Rs 6.19, the utility vehicle returns a decent mileage of 15.96kmpl.On the other hand, Mahindra Scorpio has been reiging the SUV segment ever since its launch in the domestic market. Equipped with an m2Di engine, Scorpio is a mighty machine that can easily woo the Indian customers.

Mahindra XUV 500 Photo

However, after the launch of Mahindra XUV 500, Scorpio SUV has sidelined slightly, therefore in order to bring its lost glory; Mahindra is mulling to give a mid-life facelift to the SUV. Also in 2014, the SUV will be launched in a completely new avatar. As of now the SUV is present in various trim levels, priced up to Rs 12.400,500 (e-showroom Delhi). Mahindra is also thinking to launch a low cost SUV in India which will be priced around Rs 4 lakh. Expected to be launched by Diwali, the SUV could prove to be one of the best seller in the compact SUV segment.

Mercedes Benz A Class Photo

The Mercedes’ MFA platform is the base behind this 2012 Mercedes Benz A Class car which is assumed to be a front wheel drive. The speculated engine is the turbocharged Diesel type. The powerful 4 Cylinder engine would be capable of producing a displacement of 1191cc. With Maximum Power Production of 82 Bhp at 4200 rpm and generating a Peak torque of 180 Nm at 1400 rpm this A-Class will definitely be an instant hit.

Mercedes Benz A Class Photo

The exterior curves of this car are eye tempting and this new baby from Mercedes Benz will definitely leave many hearts pounding. With a seating capacity of 5 passengers, Mercedes A Class provides a phenomenal boot space of 435 litres. However it only offers a 5 speed Manual Gearshift. The long hood in the front area is really a new concept for Mercedes. The headlights beautifully carry the LED bulbs and the much acclaimed front grill looks really superb carrying the Mercedes 3 spoke logo. The body colour bumpers really infuse perfectly with the car paint.

Mercedes Benz A Class Photo

As for now we are only able to see the external images but the interior features still needs some time to be revealed but Mercedes carries it’s old tradition to provide customers with the best in class interiors. The centre console houses the COMAND system which has now become a trademark for Mercedes.

Mercedes Benz A Class Photo

The shorter wheelbase is an area of concern along with the feature of a relatively tall body as they let the car rolling which could be dangerous. The driver gets an uplifted view of the road in this car which is a noticeable feature. The Mercedes Benz A Class has one of the best in class legroom and headroom which is quite impressive and it helps the occupants to be relaxed and enjoy the luxuries in a spacious manner.

Mercedes Benz A Class Photo

The Mercedes A Class price is yet not decided but according to market speculations and the growing competition in hatchback segment provided by BMW, Audi and the in line Volkswagen Beatle the expected price range of Mercedes A Class would be around  Rs 16- 20 lakh. The ever increasing Indian economy will definitely set a profitable market after its launch. As this segment is by now untouched by Mercedes hence a lot of homework is required before production could actually begin in India.

Hyundai i20 i-Gen Photo

The new Hyundai i20 i-Gen variants are supported by 360 degree marketing movement, known as “I live the uber life”. This movement is actually has its foundation on life away from the regular, which actually is aspired by all but achieved by only few. As per the group head of marketing Hyundai India, Mr. Nalin Kapoor, the new Hyundai i-Gen i20 has taken up its cues from the original and pushed the new hatchback to a whole new level.

Hyundai i20 i-Gen Photo

The brand new Hyundai i20 i-Gen hatchback comes with some top-class features, which include in rear parking camera with display in the front cabin, auto headlight control function, rain sensing wipers, clean air-cluster ionizer for the fresh air etc.

Hyundai i20 i-Gen Photo

Another major highlight of the new Hyundai i20 i-Gen is its inseparability, which means the owner becomes almost inseparable with this cool car. The television commercials of Hyundai i-Gen i20 feature smart, young and promising Indian models, which signify the goals in life that this hatchback assures to give in. the main element of this “I live the uber life” campaign comprise of slotting in company’s target group with the new Hyundai i20 i-Gen traits on the road as well as on the digital medium. Hyundai Motors India has also started the ongoing online contest namely ‘I live the uber-life contest’, where participants can upload their uber jiffies. The participant with the best image will be rewarded.

Hyundai i20 i-Gen Photo

If figures and statistics are taken into an account, Hyundai India has proudly sold about 2 lakh units of Hyundai i20 i-Gen in last 6 months, which is about 20% growth. Last year, the firm managed to sell around 373717 units of the hatchback in Indian car market and about 242330 units were exported. This promotional campaign of the new Hyundai i-Gen i20 targets at intensifying Hyundai’s market share in the hatchback segment.