Top ten car launches this festival season

The big festival season in India is just around the corner and its a bonanza this year for the car industry. Despite all the hoopla around GST, manufacturers look all set to bring some exciting new cars to India. Here then is our pick of the lot for cars you can expect this festival season. 

1. Tata Nexon 

This is Tata's new compact SUV and will be their rival for the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Mahindra TUV300 and the Honda WR-V. It is going to be offered in four petrol and diesel variants and across five colour options. 

2. Skoda Kodiaq 

SUVs seem to be the flavour of the market and Skoda is going big with this new taste. It will bring its new flagship SUV to the India market in October and offer it here in petrol and diesel guise. Expect a price range of Rs 25 lakhs to Rs 35 lakhs for this new SUV. 

3. Range Rover Velar 

This is the new mid-level Range Rover and is the British manufacturer’s first attempt at a coupe SUV. It will slot in above the Evoque but under the Range Rover Sport. The Indian market launch is on 21 September and here you can have it with both petrol and diesel power. 

4. Maruti Suzuki S-Cross facelift 

The Maruti Suzuki S-Cross has been around for a while now but without much success. Now it looks about time that Maruti Suzuki brought in an update to stir up the numbers. The changes include a new face, rear lamp cluster, wheels and of course, some updates to the cabin. 

5. Renault Captur 

Renault is taking a third try at the D-segment but this time it’s a localised approach in the form of the Renault Captur. It’s a five-seat SUV that will slot in above the Duster but with more features and better interiors. It will, however, make use of the same platform, engines and gearbox as the Duster. 

6. Audi A5

This is one of the lifestyle Audi models for those who want a little more for their money’s worth. We believe that it will be offered here in cabriolet and Sportback form and that both will get the same 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine. Expect them to be priced around Rs 75 lakhs.

7. Mitsubishi Outlander 

With petrol SUVs making a comeback, this seems like the right time for Mitsubishi to bring back the Outlander in a solitary petrol AT guise. It’s a D-segment crossover and will be brought in to rival the likes of the Skoda Octavia, Jeep Compass and Toyota Corolla. 

8. Special edition Toyota Fortuner

The Toyota Fortuner is expected to have a bonus period during the festival season and to cash in on this, Toyota is expected to bring in a special edition of the Fortuner. We believe that this will be a body kit of some kind and most likely to lean towards a TRD package. 

9. Ford EcoSport facelift

This is the most major update for the Ford EcoSport since its launch in 2013. There are new bits on the body, in feature list and possibly even under the hood. We expect this updated EcoSport to be priced marginally higher than the current model. 

10. Maserati Levante 

Maserati too has jumped on the SUV bandwagon and its first creation is the Levante. Designed to look like a high riding Quattroporte, the Levante will be offered in India across three variants and two engine options. Also included in the package will be a host of customisation options.