5 new car launches for March 2016

The next few months will see launch of many of the cars that were displayed at the 2016 Auto Expo. In the month of March, we will see at least five cars being rolled out in the Indian market and here are more details on each of them.

Honda Amaze facelift: The Amaze has been on sale in India in the same form since its launch back in April 2013. Honda will launch the new version of the compact sedan in India on March 3, with facelift and better interior. We have spied the facelifted car a couple of times and more details will be available on the launch date, though there won’t be any changes to the mechanicals.

Mercedes-Maybach S 600 Guard: This will be one of the most expensive cars to be launched in India this year. The Maybach, based on the Mercedes S-Class is the most luxurious car the German carmaker has to offer and this is the armoured version with highest safety certification for a civilian vehicle. It has loads of features for the comfort of the passengers, plus reinforced body which can provide safety from firearms and explosives. Under the hood is a V12 petrol engine delivering 530bhp and 830Nm. This is going to be an expensive car with pricing over Rs 10 crore, the exact details will be available at the time of the launch on March 8.

Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza: The most awaited launch of the month will definitely be the Vitara Brezza. This sub-four metre SUV from Maruti Suzuki will take on the Ford EcoSport and the Mahindra TUV300. The compact SUV looks stylish with dual-tone exterior colour and aggressive front design. It will be available only with the 1.3-litre diesel engine producing 90bhp and 200Nm of torque. Maruti is yet to confirm the launch, but we are expecting the Vitara Brezza to reach the showrooms by third week of March.

Tata Tiago: Tata has been rather unfortunate with this entry-level hatchback. Originally christened as the Tata Zica, the hatchback will be launched to replace the aging Indica. It will compete with the Maruti Suzuki Celerio thanks to having both petrol and diesel engine options. The Zica names sounds similar to the ‘Zika’ virus that has been making havoc in Latin America and hence Tata decided to rebrand the car through a contest. The car has been launch-ready for a while and now that the new name is announced, the Tiago, the launch should happen before the end of this month.

Renault Duster facelift: Although, there is no confirmation from Renault regarding the launch of the facelifted Duster, we believe that it will be before the end of this month. The facelift was displayed at the 2016 Auto Expo 2016 and now the current model is available across India for huge discounts of over Rs 80,000. These are signs that the new version will be launched soon. The Duster facelift looks brutish, moving away from the quirky Renault looks. The interior quality has also improved and the SUV will now be available with an AMT transmission.