The month of September is surely going to be action-packed for the Indian automobile industry. Several car and bike manufacturers have lined-up new products that are slated to launch in the next 3 weeks. Here’s a brief on the upcoming new cars and bikes.
1. Kia Sonet
The South Korean carmaker has confirmed that it will launch the Sonet subcompact SUV on 18th September, 2020. The model lineup will come in two trims – HT Line and GT Line – and multiple engine-gearbox options. The engine setup will include a 1.2L naturally-aspirated petro, a 1.0L turbo petrol and 1.5L turbo diesel. While the 1.2L gasoline unit will come with a 5-speed manual gearbox, the turbo petrol motor will be offered with a 6-speed manual, an iMT and a 7-speed DCT gearbox. The oil burner will come with 6-speed manual and torque converter automatic transmission options. The Kia Sonet will be packed with several segment-first features.
2. Skoda Rapid Automatic
Skoda Rapid automatic variant will also be introduced on 18th September, 2020. Official bookings of the model have already been commenced at a token sum of Rs 25,000. The model will use the same 1.0L, turbo petrol engine that does duty in the Volkswagen Polo hatchback and Vento sedan. The motor pushes out a peak power of 109bhp against 175Nm of torque. It will be paired to a 6-speed torque convertor automatic gearbox and the FWD (front-wheel-drive) system. Mileage figure of the Rapid automatic will stand at 16.24kmpl. No other changes will be made to the model.
3. Toyota Urban Cruiser
Toyota Urban Cruiser is ready to hit showrooms in coming weeks. The compact SUV will come three trims – Mid, High and Premium – based on Vitara Brezza’s VXi, ZXi and ZXi+ trims respectively. All variants will be powered by a 105bhp, 1.5L petrol engine paired with either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 4-speed torque converter automatic transmission. The automatic models will be exclusively offered with mild-hybrid technology. Minor changes have been made to the Urban Cruiser making it look different from Maruti Suzuki’s counterpart.
4. Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 Coupe
Mercedes-AMG Coupe is scheduled to launch on coming 23rd September. Pre-bookings for the high-performance hybrid variant have already been commenced in the country. Under the hood, the model features a 435bhp, 3.0L turbo petrol engine with 48V mild hybrid assist producing power worth 435bhp with 520Nm and 22bhp with 250Nm respectively. Power will be transmitted via a 9-speed automatic gearbox via Mercedes’ 4Matic+ AWD system. It can do 0 to 100kmph in 5.3 seconds and attain a top speed of 250kmph.
5. Mercedes-Benz EQC
The German luxury carmaker is ready to bring its first full electric Mercedes-Benz EQC SUV in the Indian market this month. The electric SUV will be offered in a single 400 4MATIC variant featuring two electric motors and a 85kWh lithium-ion battery. The EQC delivers a claimed range of 400km on WLTP cycle. It accelerates 0 to 100kmph in 5.1 seconds and offers a maximum speed of 180kmph. The company will offer three charging options including a 7.4 kW home electrical connection, 7.4 kW AC wall-box, and a 110 kW DC fast charger.
6. Audi Q2
Audi is ready to launch smallest and most affordable SUV in India – the Audi Q2. The carmaker recently released its first teaser video that confirms that India will receive its pre-facelift version. The SUV has been designed on Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform and comes powered by a 190bhp, 2.0L turbo petrol engine. The motor can be had with a 7-speed DCT automatic gearbox. It comes with Audi’s Quatro AWD system. The overall length, width and height of the Q2 stand at 4191mm, 1794mm and 1508mm respectively.
7. Royal Enfield Meteor 350
Royal Enfield Meteor, the successor of the RE Thunderbird 350 X, is ready to hit roads in the last week of September, 2020. Based on an all-new J1D platform, the new 350 RE motorcycle will come with a new 350cc, air-cooled engine delivering power worth 20.2bhp and 27Nm of torque. The motor has SOHC (Single Over-Head Camshaft) setup that makes it more refined than the existing 350cc unit. The Meteor 350 will come in three variants – Fireball, Stellar and Supernova – featuring different design elements, features and colours.
