4 new cars to look forward to in October

The festive season is here and with that is the spree of new launches. September was a very busy month with the launch of products like the Mahindra TUV300, Ford Figo and the Renault Kwid among others. October will see arrival of few more to try and make your Diwali happier. Maruti has two new launches lined up and there is one each from Fiat and Chevrolet. Check the story for all the details on the upcoming cars.

 

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga facelift

The Ertiga facelift will be launched in India in the next couple of weeks. The upgraded version has been launched in Indonesia already and will be made available here with few mechanical changes. 

In terms of looks, there are few tweaks and extra chrome both at the front and the back to distinguish it from the existing model. It also gets few additional features like retractable mirrors, push start with smart key, touch screen music system and reverse parking camera. While the petrol engine set up remains the same with 1.4-litre unit producing 94bhp and 130Nm of torque, the 1.3-litre diesel producing 90bhp and 200Nm gets SHVS technology. 

Expected price:  Rs 6 lakh to Rs 8.50 lakh

Expected launch: Second week of October

Fiat Abarth Punto

Fiat has set aside a firecracker for us this Diwali. The Abarth Punto will be the affordable genuine hot hatchback in the country.  The hatchback will use the 1.4-litre turbocharged T-Jet petrol engine tuned to produce 143bhp and 200Nm of torque. The best part about the whole deal is that the car will be made in India, so won’t cost too much more than the premium diesel hatchbacks.

The Abarth Punto looks great with the matte grey paint job with red vinyl, five-spoke alloy-wheels and Abarth badging. The interior is sporty as well with a black theme and leather seats. We can’t wait to get our hands on this one. Stay tuned for the first drive review.

Expected price: Rs 9 lakh

Expected launch: Second week of October

 

Chevrolet Trailblazer

Chevrolet will launch the Trailblazer next month to compete with the Toyota Fortuner and Mitsubishi Pajero. The full size seven-seater SUV is bigger than its rival and also more powerful with a 2.8-litre engine pumping 200bhp and 500Nm of torque. 

The Trailblazer gets features like music system with Bluetooth, cruise control, rear parking camera and sensors, six-way adjustable power seats and climate control. Chevy will be offering the SUV in only one variant with the AT transmission and rear-wheel drive. The Trailblazer will be imported to India as CBU, but since the two countries have a trade pact, the price will be similar to CKD models.

Expected price: Rs 27 lakh

Expected launch: October 21

 

Maruti Suzuki Baleno

Maruti Suzuki is set to reintroduce the Baleno badge in India with a new premium hatchback. The made in India car was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show earlier this month and it will be launched here on October 26. The Baleno is a good looking hatchback with Suzuki’s new design language; also it will have a large features list with the engine start-stop button, SAT-NAV, touch-screen music system and rear camera.

The Baleno will also use the new SHVS hybrid technology from Suzuki, which will make diesel version of the premium hatchback one of the most efficient cars in India. The Baleno will take on the Hyundai Elite i20 and the Honda Jazz in the Indian market.

Expected price: Rs 5.30 lakh to Rs 8.25 lakh

Expected launch: October 26