All new cars launching in January are either new models from the ground-up or brand-new nameplates
2019 is going to witness a lot of new cars and two new carmakers entering the country — Kia and MG. While the products from the two car brands are still a few months away from hitting the market, the existing carmakers are set to start off the year with 5 new car launches in the first month itself. Here are the cars which are going on sale in India in January 2019.
1.Maruti Suzuki Wagon R
Maruti is set to launch the new-gen WagonR in India on January 23. It gets a new design which is expected to be underpinned by a new platform that should make it compliant to the upcoming crash test norms. Our latest spy images of the new WagonR also reveal that it would get a 4-cylinder petrol engine. We expect the engine to be a 1.2-litre unit, possibly shared with the Ignis.
The new WagonR is likely to be equipped with basic safety features such as dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and ISOFIX child seat anchors as standard. It will also pack a touchscreen infotainment system in the top variant. The new WagonR will renew rivalry against likes of the Hyundai Santro, Tata Tiago and the Datsun GO when it launches in January.
2. Nissan Kicks
After revealing the details of the Kicks a few weeks back and announcing the commencement of bookings, the Japanese carmaker is all set to launch the compact SUV in India in January. It will be positioned above the Terrano in Nissan’s India lineup. The Nissan Kicks will share its powertrain with the Renault Captur and will be available with a manual transmission only. On the features front, it will get dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, ISOFIX child seat anchors, and auto climate control as standard. Features such as side airbags, hill hold assist, ESP, the segment-first 360-degree camera and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system will be available in the top-spec variant. The Kicks will take on likes of the Hyundai Creta, Maruti S-Cross and the Renault Captur.
The Tata Harrier will go on sale on 23 January, alongside the launch of the new WagonR. The Harrier is Tata’s first product to underpin the new Omega Arc platform, which has been derived from Land Rover Discovery’s D8 platform. At launch, the Harrier will be available with a diesel engine only, a 2.0-litre unit that makes 140PS/350Nm with a 6-speed MT.
Standard safety features on the Harrier will include dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and rear parking sensors. Higher variants will get six airbags, traction control, ESP, ISOFIX child seat anchors, hill hold control, hill descent control, rollover mitigation and corner stability control.
The Harrier is Tata’s answer to the likes of the Jeep Compass and Hyundai Tucson. It will be bigger in terms of size compared to its rivals, but is likely to undercut these mid-size SUVs on the price chart.
4. Toyota Camry Hybrid
Toyota is set to launch the eighth-gen Camry in India on 18 January 2019. The new Camry will be available in India with a hybrid powertrain only, unlike its predecessor, which was offered in both petrol and hybrid variants. It will be underpinned by a new platform and will be powered by a 2.5-litre petrol engine that produces 178PS of power 221Nm of peak torque. It is supplemented by an 88kW electric motor, taking the combined power output to 211PS, 6PS more than the predecessor. Like its predecessor, the new Camry will be equipped with an e-CVT gearbox. The outgoing Camry was priced around Rs 38 lakh in Delhi & the new one is also expected to be priced around the same range.
5. Mercedes-Benz V-Class
Mercedes-Benz will be trying its luck in the luxury MPV space with the launch of the V-Class. Targeted majorly at the service and hospitality sector, the V-Class will initially be imported to India as a CBU. However, the carmaker might want to localise it if the demand is good. The V-Class coming to India is the third-gen model which made its global debut back in 2014. At present, there are no luxury vans available in India and the V-Class will, therefore, have no competition as such. The V-Class is likely to be powered by a 2.0-litre BSVI diesel engine that powers the refreshed C-Class sold in the country. It produces 194PS/400Nm, mated to a 9-speed AT.
Source: cardekho.com