- Two new next-generation premium players
- No diesel car under Rs. 50 lakh
SUVs may be the flavour of the decade, but that hasn’t stopped manufacturers from bringing sedans to the market, and there have been quite a few launches in this calendar year. In fact, four cars, all moving to new generations and in various price brackets, have ignited some classic battles in terms of being traditional rivals. Here is the complete list!
New Honda Amaze
The third-generation Honda Amaze was launched in early December and sees the car get design as well as feature updates. As expected it has moved closer to the design of the Honda City and is also the first car in its class to get level-2 ADAS. The only engine on offer is Honda’s 1.2-litre petrol and you can get CNG but it’s a dealer-level fitment.
New Maruti Dzire
The third-gen Honda Amaze’s traditional rival, the Maruti Dzire, got a generational update earlier this year and unlike the previous three generations has moved away from the design of the Swift and has instead developed its distinct visual identity. Inside it is business as usual with a design similar to that of the Swift but with an expanded feature list to give it its premium status over the hatchback.
BYD Seal
BYD jumped into the premium game earlier this year with the launch of the Seal sedan. It’s got all the luxuries of the Atto 3 but with a very impressive 308bhp/360Nm output that can be had either in RWD guise or AWD guise. While the Atto 3 and eMAX7 are BYD’s volume models, so to speak, this one is a showcase of its technological prowess and what its capable of if you up the budget into a premium strata.
Toyota Camry
The ninth-generation Toyota Camry made its debut in India at the end of CY2024. It brings with it a new design, an updated feature list and as is the case with previous-generation cars, a hybrid-only offering. However, Toyota decided to go all out luxury and has introduced it as one fully loaded model with all the bells and whistles that it has for the Camry range.
New Mercedes-Benz E-Class
One half of a hotly anticipated battle, the new Mercedes E-Class is longer, wider and more powerful than the car it replaced. It has also got an improved rear-seat package, and feature list and can be had in both petrol and diesel engine options. Due to its size, India is the only RHD market to get the E-Class in LWB guise.
New BMW 5 Series and i5
The BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class have been running parallel in terms of generations and when the new E-Class was announced, we knew a new 5 Series had to come long. The new-generation car is longer, wider and like the E-Class features a tilt towards a chauffeur-driven package. At present its only available in the 503Li guise but we expect a 520d and 520i to be offered by the end of the financial year.
As the new 5 Series was announced, BMW took us by surprise by launching the i5. As the name suggests, it is an electric version of the 5 Series and is only available in the SWB guise. In addition to offering the luxuries of the 5 Series range, it also packs in quite a punch thanks to its dual motors producing 600bhp/795Nm!
Mercedes-AMG C63 SE Performance
The C63 finally came back to India earlier this year, but in a modern guise to keep up with the times. That modern guise is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder motor paired to an electric motor to produce a total output of 670bhp/1020Nm. It’s got all the toys of the C-Class range, as well as an F1-derived electric boost and track tools to help you smash out George Russell-like lap times.
