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The automobile industry of India is drastically changing. The fact behind this transformation is the augment of new vehicles which are being introduced every now and then.
It is a common perception that Indians are fond of fuel efficient and affordable vehicles. This notion stands correct but the success of ‘Utility Vehicles’ is changing this perception at a rapid pace.
These vehicles are lightweight, equipped with advanced technologies, stylish, fuel efficient, spacious and comfortable and also fall in affordable domain. In this fiscal year, this segment has contributed about 29 per cent in the growth of auto industry.
The immense success of vehicles like Dusters, EcoSports, Boleros, Terranos are perfect examples of it.
With respect to this, we are mentioning the five most awaited utility vehicles which are scheduled to be launched in India soon.
Hyundai ix25
Expected launch: Mid-2015
The Korean automaker already having a strong foot print in the Indian market, will be introducing its first compact SUV to test its courage in the segment.
Although there is no official wording about its launch, but looking at the growing market shares of cars like EcoSport and Duster, Hyundai cannot sit and watch the game as a silent spectator.
Just like it garnered immense success with the latecomer Hyundai Xcent, it will definitely bring some sort of brilliance with ix25. The near production version of the car was first showcased at Auto China arising speculation all around the web.
According to interweb reports, the car when launched in India would sport 1.4 litre engines of Verna. To beat the rivals, the price would certainly fall under Rs 10 lakh.
Maruti Suzuki S-Cross
Expected launch: Early 2015
Maruti Suzuki being the largest passenger carmaker in India, hasn’t entered this stream yet. But soon with the S-Cross in hand, it will foray into one of the hottest segment in the industry.
The utility vehicle is based on SX4 compact car which has been on sale in the European market since 2006. Powered by 1.6-litre diesel engine and 1.6 litre petrol engine in European market, S-Cross will come equipped with same engine capacity when launched in India.
However, Maruti could also employ its tried and tested 1.4 liter K-series petrol motor and the 1.3 liter Fiat sourced Multijet diesel engine in the Cross.
The car is stylish and the interior shows off the same Suzuki quality prevalent across the world. With all the attributes, the S-Cross price would be in the vicinity of Duster, EcoSport and Avventura.
Mahindra S101
Expected launch: Launch mid-2015
How could Mahindra fall behind in the race being the largest SUV maker in India? Mahindra & Mahindra is heavily testing its compact SUV from quite some time now.
Spotted several times undergoing test mules, Mahindra S101 will be seen running on Indian roads in mid-2015.
The car might get power from 1.5 litre mCR100 diesel engine currently doing its duty in Quanto. It will be a sub-4 meter car and the price range which would fall around Rs 5-6 lakh, is enough to give nightmares to Duster, EcoSport and Terrano SUVs.
Next generation Mahindra Bolero
Expected launch: Late 2015
Mahindra Bolero is the household name in India for almost 15 years now. Company currently sells around 10,000 units of Bolero every month. The last makeover was in 2011 and now its time for the major overhaul of this vehicle.
Spyshots have been circling on the interweb for quite some time and hint towards extreme changes inside out.
To make it more sturdy, it will be built upon hydroformed ladder-frame chassis, the one which has been applied on new Scorpio.
As per the engine specification, it would get 1.5-litre or 1.6 diesel motor. The expected price range of the SUV will be between Rs 6-8 lakh, quite similar to the current Bolero.
Datsun Go Plus
Launch date: Sometime in 2015
We have been witnessing gradual increase in the MPV segment. After the induction of Maruti Ertiga couple of years back, recently, Honda launched Mobilio MPV in India and is quite happy with the response.
Datsun after the launch of Go hatchback in the country, will face litmus test by launching MPV version based on the same hatchback.
As Datsun is a revived brand by Nissan and is currently focusing its role towards developing countries, the price range will be very competitive. It has been launched in the Indonesian market and doing good there.
Under the hood, the MPV is expected to share the same 1.2 litre petrol engine powering Go hatch while it might also get 1.5 litre K9K diesel mill. Launch would happen early next year.
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