5 New Cars, SUVs Lined Up For Launch In This Festive Season
With India gearing up for the festive season October will see the launch of as many as five cars. While most of these will be at the premium end of the market, there are a couple of mass-market models, too.
New Kia Carnival
New Kia Carnival promises to be even more spacious and luxurious than the earlier model, and will be offered in two trims initially – Limousine and Limousine Plus. At launch, the new Carnival will only be available as a 7-seater (2+2+3) – the second row will feature captain’s seats, while the third row will be a bench seat. It will be powered by a 193hp, 2.2-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine mated to an 8-speed torque converter automatic that sends power to the front wheels. Being brought in as a CBU initially, it is expected to be priced over Rs 50 lakh with the local assembly expected to begin a little later.
Nissan Magnite facelift
The Nissan Magnite will receive its first mid-lifecycle update this October. Spy shots indicate that it will get a reworked front bumper and grille, and possibly reprofiled headlamps with new LED daytime running lamp signatures. Nissan has also teased a new alloy wheel design for the facelift. While the interior has not been previewed yet, sources tell us that tweaks will be limited to new trim pieces and some additional features. The existing 1.0-litre petrol engines will be carried over unchanged: the 72hp, 96Nm naturally aspirated unit and the 100hp, 160Nm turbo version. The 5-speed manual and AMT, and the CVT gearboxes will be carried over as is.
BYD eMax 7
The eMax 7 is a facelifted e6, which was BYD’s first model in India in 2021. which will get new headlamps and tail-lamps and new bumpers with more chrome elements. On the inside, the dashboard will remain mostly unchanged, but the biggest update will be a larger 12.8-inch floating touchscreen, up from the 10.1-inch unit in the e6. The BYD eMax 7 will have three rows with 6- and 7-seater configurations. It will also have new features like a panoramic sunroof and an ADAS suite with two battery pack options: a 55.4kWh unit with a claimed range of 420km and a 71.8kWh unit with 530km range, but it’s not known which spec will be brought here. It is expected to be priced at around Rs 30 lakh-33 lakh (ex-showroom), and take on the Toyota Innova Hycross.
Kia EV9
The Kia EV9 India-spec will come with a 99.8kWh battery pack that will offer an ARAI-certified range of 561km. It will get dual motors (one at each axle), giving it all-wheel drive capability. The motors produce a combined 384hp and 700Nm. The EV9 will be available with a 6-seater layout as standard – the second-row seats will be captain’s chairs with features like electric adjustment, massage function, and adjustable leg support. It will come as a full import and is expected to be priced at around Rs 1 crore (ex-showroom).
Maruti Suzuki Dzire
Last but not the least, after the new-gen Swift’s launch, it is the Dzire that is highly anticipated from the stable of the country’s largest carmaker. The 4th-gen Maruti Suzuki Dzire is expected to be launched by Diwali this year. It will be powered by the new Z-Series powerplant and will offer more in comparison to the Swift, in terms of space and comfort. Interestingly, the design for the Dzire will be substantially different from the Swift.
