Reema Sharma
Sustained deceleration in economic activity and consequent weakness in consumer and business sentiments had led to the slump in the auto sector last year.
A slew of cars and SUVs are scheduled for launch in India this year, though the elongated declension in the Indian automobile sector seems to have turned off auto enthusiasts.
However one hopes that this year the auto sector is able to do away with plunging further into decline. Here's looking at five most anticipated car launches of 2014.
Honda City - Diesel
Japanese car maker Honda will start selling the Honda City diesel from next week. Honda had unveiled the all new version of sedan 'City' in India in November last year. The price of the vehicle has not been officially confirmed as yet.
The diesel variant would have 1.5 iDTEC diesel motor producing 100PS@3600rpm power and 200Nm@1750rpm max torque.
The car can reach100kmph in 12.8 seconds and boasts a mileage of 26 kilometre per litre.
Currently, Honda City comes with petrol engine only. The petrol variant of the new Honda City comes with the existing 1.5 litre iVTEC engine.
Mahindra Scorpio Facelift
Home-grown auto major Mahindra & Mahindra will launch the facelift version of its popular sports utility vehicle (SUV) Scorpio. The SUV will be launched between March and April though nothing concrete can be said as of now. The facelift SUV has been spied testing on roads several times. It will be unveiled during the Delhi Auto Expo 2014. The SUV will be powered by the same 2.2-litre mHawK diesel engine producing 120bhp.
Datsun GO
Nissan, that has announced the global relaunch of its Datsun brand, will unveil the hatchback Datsun GO between March and April. The Datsun GO hatchback will be powered by the 1.2-litre, three cylinder engine in line with the Nissan Micra platform. The hatchback is likely to be priced at sub Rs 4 lakh. The company has plans to launch three models of Datsun GO in India by 2016.
Hyundai Grand i10 Sedan
Hyundai Motor will launch the Grand i10 sedan this year though nothing is clear about that exact launch month. The Hyundai Grand i10 sedan will be powered by the same engine as its hatchback model. Under the hood, the petrol version will get the same 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder petrol unit producing maximum power output of 82bhp and 114Nm of torque and diesel unit with 1.1-litre, 4-cylinder mill churning 70bhp and 160Nm.
Tata Nano Diesel
The launch of Tata Nano diesel version is bit disputable right now. The Nano diesel which has been under development for quite some time now, has reportedly been shelved. Reports are coming that the car, which was supposed to be showcased in the Delhi Auto expo 2014, has been put on hold owing to steep hike in diesel prices over the last few months. The Nano diesel engine under development comes with two configurations – one with a two-cylinder and the other with a three-cylinder. The company is however undecided as to which diesel configuration will be launched first. Though there is no official word on status of the car, it might just be rumours. We still expect Tata to launch the Nano Diesel car this year.
