24 new cars expected to hit Indian roads in 2008

24 new cars from around 14 car makers are expected to hit Indian roads in 2008. Most of them will be unveiled during Auto Expo in Jan 2008, and the exact release dates and other details might also be revealed there itself.

It includes Tata's much awaited "One Lakh Car", new model for Indica, Indigo and hopefully the old multi utility vehicle Sumo.

Hyundai will be coming up with "Santa Fe" may be witha different name for an indian version, something similar to its "ix0" series, i10 being a part of that strategy.

Maruti is expected to come up with "Splash", "Swift Sedan" and hopefully "Cervo".

Mahindra is expected to unveil its new MUV "Ingenio" which will be taking on Toyotas Innova head on.

GM is expected to come up with Chevrolet Captiva, that will be a premium SUV and shall be taking on Honda's CRV by neck. The MUV Tavera might also get a facelift.

Fiat to come up with Linea and Punto along with TATA as a joint venture.

The most awaited launch can be of Skoda Fabia, which has been in plans from a long time now, but might be finally hitting the Indian roads in coming year 2008.

Some more luxury cars to be launched include new Skoda Superb, face lifted Octavia sedan, new C-Class from Mercedes Benz, Audi A4 sedan.

Well a lot to watch out for in coming year I guess.

New Indica And Indigo

Tata motors is working on a new version of Tata Indica & Indigo, expectedly giving them an all-new look or maybe a few modifications here and there on the exteriors and the interiors. Both new models are believed to be launched in early 2008.

The new Indica will be a complete departure from the existing model. With new lights, grill & suspension, the new version of Indica will sport the 1.3-litre Fiat diesel engine, same as the one on Swift diesel. Sources say that the new Indica might also be wider, spacious and have additional safety features. It is still not clear whether the present Indica will continue but sources feel that Tata Motors may continue the existing variants at lower price.

Though the new car will belong to the same segment as Indica but might have a different name. The engines of the new car will come from Fiat, Tata Motors’ JV partner. Indica has already completed more than 8 years of production and has been under pressure from the rival cars of the same segment. It is the reason why the new version of Indica is being developed. According to sources new Indica will sport a price tag of around Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 5.5 lakh.

Tata Motors is also working on cutting the length of the Indigo to get excise benefits. While the existing Indigo and the Indigo Marina will continue, Tata Motors is planning to target buyers with low budget. The new model of Tata Indigo will also sport the Fiat engine. Tata motors hope that the new version of Indigo will help the company increase its market share.

Peugeot Maybe Coming to India..... Again

Remeber the 309 pugeot, well that was not something really great to be remembered but what is expected to be coing up next might be.

Pugeot 107

French carmaker Peugeot is rethinking of entering the booming Indian automotive market. Top officials from the company are in the country, engaging in talks with auto associations namely Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures (SIAM) and the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) along with various auto component makers. Peugeot had earlier entered the Indian market in 1995 (JV with the Premier Group) with the locally assembled Peugeot 309 mid size saloon. Though the car was quite capable and suited to Indian conditions the company faced labour issues and problems with it's local partner which led to production problems and an untimely withdrawl of the brand.

Pugeot 207

This time around Peugeot wants to be absolutely sure of it's market entry strategy and is currently mum on it's exact plan. Peugeot being a French carmaker has always been known for artistic styling and brilliant attention to detail . Out of it's international lineup the Peugeot 107 mini hatchback, 206 and 207 hatchs seem like possible prospects for India along with the 407 sedan.

Diesel Getz Launched

Hyundai Motors India has launched the diesel variant of it's premium hatchback - Getz. The car has been fitted with a powerful 1.5 litre common rail direct injection (CRDi) engine that delivers 110 BHP of power at 4000 rpm and an impressive 235 nm of torque. This is the same engine which does duty in the Hyundai Verna and in a small car like the Getz this would result in awesone performance and acceleration figures. The diesel Getz is likely to become the hottest hatch in India beating even the 100 bhp Fiat Palio 1.6 sports which is petrol.


The new Getz also beats Suzuki's DDis Swift in terms of power since it only has a 1.3 litre 75 bhp engine. The diesel Getz has been priced at Rs 5.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) which makes it Rs 73,000 pricier than the swift diesel Vdi model. Expect mileage figures of 13-14 kmpl in the city and upto 20 kmpl on the highway. The diesel Getz would come into showrooms by the 1st week of October and is expected to sell well during the upcoming festive season.

India new launchpad for auto giants

The Economic Times: September 20,2007

India is turning out to be the new launch pad for global car models as major car makers prefer India over Europe and the American markets. Korean car major Hyundai Motor will debut its latest premium hatchback — code named Pa — in India in November ahead of its global launch in January 2008. Hyundai Motor India V-P (marketing & sales) Arvind Saxena said: “India is now a global hub for small cars and no manufacturer can afford to ignore that. It’s a big competitive market for the best cars to compete. Our new premium compact car Pa will hit India two months earlier than Europe and other world markets.”

Other car makers have also realised the growing might of the Indian market and has followed the similar practice. Maruti-Suzuki’s latest mid-size sedan SX4 made its debut in India in May this year before its launch in Europe (August) and in Japan (July). Its small car Swift was launched in India, Europe and Japan simultaneously. Similarly, Ford Motor made India the integral part of its global launch for its hugely successful Fiesta sedan. “It was an important launch for us as India is a high growth market for passenger cars. We brought the global car Fiesta to India and we are satisfied with the market response. It is our flagship model and accounts for around 70% of our total sales,” said a Ford Motor India spokesperson.

Many such global cars are expected to debut in India. Europe’s largest car maker Volkswagen plans to bring its compact car Up! in India while Renault, which is partnering Bajaj Auto, is making a $3,000 car especially for India. Honda Motor Company is finalising the launch of the new Accord 2008 in India simultaneously with its world debut. It is also developing a special compact car for the Indian market likely to debut in 2009. Angle Broking auto analyst Vaishali Jajoo said: “With all major car makers entering India, only the best of products can compete in the domestic market. India is a major destination now and offers huge potential. The passenger car market is expected to grow at 15% CAGR for the next 3-4 years and more global cars will be launched.” We will see global cars from Italian major Fiat, Germany’s Volkswagen Group and the French car maker Renault to debut in India.”

India is the second fastest growing automobile market in the world after China. While the Chinese market is growing at a consistent rate of over 30% for the last five fiscal years, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers’ reports that the Indian market grew at 16% CAGR in the same period and reached 13.79 lakh passenger vehicles market in 2007-08.

Skoda Fabia

Well Fabia is what I would like to call as a Fabulous little Skoda. Skoda has been in indian market for quite some time now, and is synonymous to its most popular Octavia. Skoda Fabia was globally launched in 2002 but India launched was constantly postponed. Major factor being the Indian market was not matured enough to accept a premium hatchback. But with the success of Swift, Chevy U-AV and Getz Skoda is all set for the launch of the most awaited Fabia.


Fabia In India is expected to be annouced at the Auto Expo in Jan 2008. In India it will have either 1.2 litre or 1.4 litre engine. There are rumours that Skoda may reduce the overall length of the Fabia to try and meet the requirements for the lower excise duty benefit. Skoda Fabia is based on the Volkswagen platform. It will be Skoda's first small car in India. The car will compete with Chevrolet Aveo UV-A, Hyundai Getz, and ofcourse the Swift for the market share.


Skoda Fabia has got seven engine options, however, India will get maximum three i.e. 1.2L Petrol, 1.4L Petrol and 1.4L Diesel. Among these three too, 1.4L Petrol is very unlikely. 1.2L (1198cc), 3-cylinder, 12V Petrol engine produces 70ps of power and 123Nm of torque. 1.4L (1422cc), 3-cylinder, 12V TDI Diesel engine produces 80ps of power and 195Nm of torque. Though neither of the engine is class-leading in power/performance, they are powerful enough to give you wonderful drive. Diesel engine is 3-cylinder version of Laura’s engine and is a little noisy like its bigger sibling. Last but not least, both Petrol and Diesel engines are quite fuel efficient.



Skoda Fabia is far bigger than any hatchback in India hence is hugely spacious in cabin as well as in boot. Standard boot is of 300 liters, if rear seat is folded, it can be extended to 1100+ liters. Fabia has ample legroom at front, knee-room at rear and head-room at front/rear. Goodies available as standard will be more than adequate too. Overall, a highly desirable hatch.


Well, if Fabia really comes to India, consider it as revolution in Indian B+ car segment. No car in India is able to match what Skoda Fabia is about to offer. It can be considered as India’s first truly premium hatchback. With Fabia, India is bound to have world-class styling, luxury, technology and safety features. If rightly priced, this highly sturdy, hot hatch will sell like hot cakes.

Estimated Price: Rs 5.5-7 Lakh estimated

Swift Sedan, Maruti Dezire

Maruti Suzuki will launch a swift with definite boot , yes the new esteem i.e swift sedan will hit the showrooms in in January - Febraury 2008. The new Swift sedan is expected to be offered in both petrol and diesel engine variants. For the diesel option, Maruti may pick the 1.3L DDIS engine which currently powers the swift hatch back to power the new swift sedan. Swift sedan will be positioned as a practical family car(no sporty ) a new wider rear section will facilitate that. The upcoming swift sedan may replace (or) complement the esteem(if it is launched only on diesel version). Swift in its three box avtaar(sedan) will take on the upcoming next generation Indigo and is expected to be priced around Rs5.5 lakh. Maruti’s earlier bid to capture the diesel market with the esteem diesel ended in a failure node. But the esteem’s petrol model still holds some grip - even after 13years of its debut 6,000 units of esteem is sold in April-July period.

Got a pic from net, might be photoshopped, who cares..
here it is:


another one:



courtesy: http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/14/spy-shots-suzuki-swift-sedan-nabbed-in-india/



Maruti Swift Sedan, Now coenamed Maruti Dezire replacement of esteem, Esteem production has been stopped already, and Dezire is expected to be onroad in first quarter of 2008.

check out the pricelist and review here:
http://indywheels.blogspot.com/2008/03/maruti-suzuki-swift-dzire-launched.html

Make Maruti Swift DZire Launched, See the pricelist

Mahindra AXE

Mahindra AXE or should i say Indian Hummer



Well this is the military version of the Axe, but Mahindra is planning a civilian version of the Axe. The civilian version of Axe will be ready by 2009 with an automatic transmission.



Axe’s civillian version will be homologated with styling and other changes. But it will use a Mahindra driveline. The basic characteristic of performance will be the same but the looks will be different like the Humvee and Hummer.



For the civilian version of axe the engine displacement will be lowered and there will be cosmetic changes on the dashboard. But Mahindra wants to keep the suspension and platform unchanged.


Pics courtesy: http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=118981

Axe civilian version will be only diesel and with automatic transmission. Mahindra will showcase the Axe at the 2008 Delhi Auto Expo. Mahindra’s commercial Axe is expected to be priced roughly between Rs 12 lakh and Rs 22 lakh.

Fiat Grande Punto

The first product of the Fiat - Tata alliance will be the Grand Punto, a premium hatchback which is expected to be launched in the beginning of 2008.



Punto 75bhp engine is already offered in swift by Maruti. GM, Suzuki and Fiat co-developed the engine.



Designed by the famous Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign, the Grande Punto is an attractive and spacious car. The punto is preceded with “Grande” to indicate its larger size.


The car is expected to be priced between 4.5 – 6 lakhs to take on getz, swift and Fabia.

Maruti Cervo

Rumor has it... Suzuki is planning to replace the long lasting Maruti 800 with the Japanese Suzuki Cervo which is the latest small car recently launched in Japan, the Cervo is a compact five door mini, that looks to put the other kids on the block into the shade.



The interiors of this car somewhat looks like that of the much popular Swift. The rectangular air vents in the center and the circle open closed ones on the sides dont look even and looks a bit uneven. the colors of the controls do look lights up the dash.


This sleek cute car offers 54bhp 660cc engine that boasts to offer peppy performance with great fuel economy.

Renault Sandero

Sandero is a modern hatchback and was designed with the expectations of South American customers in mind. But that does not hamper Renault from marketing the sandero in other parts of the world.




Sandero’s appealing design suggests both dynamic performance and robustness. Its distinctive front end features very expressive headlamps, with a grille and bumper that merge seamlessly into the bodywork. The design of the flanks strengthens the suggestion of robustness thanks, in particular, to the wide protection strips along the sides of the sandero. The rear styling of the sandero emphasises the impression of a roomy, generously proportioned car.

Maruti Splash

Splash is another upcoming model from Maruti. Will be showcased in Auto-Expo 2008 and is expected to hit the Indian Roads by 2008 last quarter. Its closer in character to WagonR and feel is derived from Swift. Whether this will be a replacement to Wagon R or will be sold along with it is still doubtful.


The Splash is the fourth new model for the Maruti Suzuki after the launch of Swift, Grand Vitara and SX4. Splash which the Splash is based on a shortened version of the Swift’s platform will be the natural choice for the Maruti suzuki’s next small car in India.

The interiors and overall comfort and feel is similar to Swift.



Maruti may price the car around its Wagon R, which comes with a tag of about Rs 3.50 lakh. Splash is expected to go on sale in Europe in March 2008, India will get the splash soon after that.