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.