In the coming months, the passenger vehicle segment is set to see the introduction of several new models from Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Mahindra, Kia, Honda, and Toyota all priced under Rs. 10 Lakh.
Toyota will be rebadging the Maruti Suzuki Fronx SUV under the nameplate, Urban Cruiser Taisor as spotted in the trademark filing earlier this month. In design, it is expected to be influenced by the Hyryder and come with the same features from the Fronx like 360-degree camera, Wireless Charging Pad, 9-inch infotainment system, Heads-up Display, 16-inch alloy wheels, and few more. In Engine Options, it’ll sport the same engine options as the Fronx which is the 1.2-litre petrol engine producing 87.29 bhp and 113 Nm of torque mated to 5-speed Manual and 5-speed Automatic Gearbox, and the other will be a 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine producing 98.69 bhp and 147.6 Nm of torque paired to 5-speed Manual and 6-speed Automatic Gearbox.
The interior styling and layout will most likely remain the same as the Fronx. As for the launch, it is possible that Toyota could launch the Taisor in the first week of November 2023 as part of their 6-months deal and price it at Rs. 7.56 lakh for the entry-level variant.
Tata Motors is seen testing the EV version of the Punch SUV that sits below the Nexon in the line-up, and through the spy shots, we got many information on how the Punch EV is going to look, and what’s its going to pack. The Punch EV at the front will closely resemble the ICE version with closed grille, and will get new features like the 360-degree camera, electric parking brake with auto hold function, and many more. From the inside, the layout and design will remain the same, and it won’t get the 10.25-inch infotainment system, it’ll continue to sport the 7-inch infotainment system with wireless Apple Carplay/Android Auto, but its possible that the UI of the 7-inch display could be updated to provide better visuals. Tata Motors recently launched iCNG of Punch and in this update, it got single-pane sunroof, and on the EV, its going to have a sunroof as well.
Kia has been testing the Sonet Facelift for quite some time now, but just few days ago, a youtube channel “The Car Show” uploaded or leaked the interiors and exteriors of the SUV by doing a quick walkaround of the SUV. So, the variant we saw leak was the mid-spec variant that had features like the single-pane sunroof, automatic climate control, front and rear parking sensors, 16-inch dual tone alloy wheels, and its possible it has ventilated seats as well. Also, the automatic climate control has a small display with two buttons.
Kia has cleaned the dashboard by having one row of buttons on top, and row of toggles that just looks cleaner. Moreover, the LED headlights are redesigned and looks similar to the Seltos Facelift and so does the connected LED taillamps. It’s possible that Kia has made 360 Surround View Camera and ADAS exclusive to top variant which is either GT-Line or X-Line. Also, the ADAS is expected to be the same as the Hyundai Venue, meaning it’ll be camera-based, so it’s highly likely it won’t get ADAS feature like Adaptive Cruise Control. Kia is expected to launch the Sonet Facelift by late 2023 and early 2024.
As seen in the spy shots, the upcoming XUV300 Facelift will feature huge new C-Shape LED DRLs that were seen on the concept BE.05 electric SUV with little changes to the front grille, new bumpers, bonnet, and new set of alloy wheels. The rear will feature new LED taillamps and a LED light bar for a connected light sequence.The Interior will feature a new freestanding infotainment system that is likely to be an 10.25-inch unit replacing the outgoing version. Next to that is the four-spoke steering wheel that will be carried over from the outgoing version, the AC vent this time will be below the infotainment system and the center console will under some revisions as well.
The outgoing version comes with less features compared to its rivals like the newly launched Tata Nexon Facelift, Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Maruti Brezza, and so on. It has first-in segment feature like Dual-zone Climate Control. This could change as Mahindra could add features in their SUV like the ventilated seats, wireless charging pad, digital instrument cluster, LED Projector headlamps, drive modes, additional connected car tech features, and confirmed panoramic sunroof.
As for the safety, it offers features like 6 Airbags, ABS with EBD, all four wheels with Disc Brakes, Hill Start assist, Height Adjustable seat belt, Tyre-Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), ISOFIX child anchorages, front and rear parking sensors, and so on. To enhance it even further, Mahindra could add the 360 Surround View Camera, and make some features standard across all the variants. Mahindra is expected to launch the XUV300 facelift in the early 2024.
Maruti Suzuki is going to launch the next-gen Swift in India sometime in 2024 and it’s going to introduce some new features. Maruti Suzuki was spotted testing the Swift in Europe with an expected reveal coming in October 2023. The test mule was spotted with a bolder design and could get new LED headlamps and bumpers. The side profile was spotted with a new alloy wheel design and door-mounted handles instead of the C-pillar mounted handles in the outgoing version. Moving to the rear, the LED tail lamp design could be slightly tweaked, and maybe sport sport-connected tail lamp design.
We know for certain that the upcoming Swift is going to come with a Strong Hybrid Setup. It’ll come with a 1.2 L Petrol engine paired with the Toyota’s Strong Hybrid setup, and this 1.2 L Petrol engine won’t be 4 Cylinder but a 3 Cylinder with an eCVT Gearbox and can expect mileage somewhere between 35 – 40 KMPL. Other than that, it’ll continue to provide the option of Petrol-only, and CNG fuel options.
In Features, expect Maruti Suzuki to load Swift with new features like the 9-inch SmartPlay Pro+ infotainment system with Wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, and wireless charging pad. In Safety, we can expect Maruti to add 360 Surround View Camera, 6 airbags, and possibly Heads-up Display (HUD).
Maruti Suzuki along with the Swift is going to launch the Dzire with a hybrid setup and sport the same features like the the 9-inch SmartPlay Pro+ infotainment system with Wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, and wireless charging pad. In Safety, we can expect Maruti to add 360 Surround View Camera, 6 airbags, and possibly Heads-up Display (HUD). Since the Dzire is build on the same platform as Swift, you can expect it to launch alongside the Swift in 2024.
Honda is likely to launch the new-gen Amaze in 2024 and its expected to be underpinned by the City platform. The Amaze got the second-gen facelift update in 2021, and since then nothing. So for the 3rd Gen, we expect the Amaze to follow the design language of the current City. Even the interiors you can expect them to be similar in styling. So, we expect the Amaze to come with features like the 8-inch infotainment system, wireless charging pad, and semi-digital instrument cluster. Also, Amaze is rumored to be equipped with ADAS or it could be mild ADAS with features like forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and more.