Car Launch Mania for June

The general elections are over and there is optimism about the financial market which is the sign of good times to come. Among all these big events, the automotive industry quietly makes it mark. A slew of launch of new cars will occur in June. As the month begins it heralds the launch of amazingly different cars in different segments. The lull that prevailed during the last seven car launches has given way to enthusiasm over the five new launches. It looks like there was no recession at all.

The two most significant events will be in the premium hatch segment. Honda Siel Cars would release the supermini Honda Jazz powered by the new 1.2 litre iVTEC engine. The Italian car giant Fiat will launch the Indian-built, but Italian-designed hatchback Grande Punto.

Infact analysts say that Honda Jazz is more a mini MPV rather than a hatchback. It offers the most spacious cabin and aireness that has never been seen in any Indian hatchback. Jazz will have the refinement, reliability, performance and fuel efficiency that is typically seen in Honda cars. These qualities will only make the drive more pleasurable. Honda Jazz could be just the vehicle that every drive will want to take on a trip. Honda is likely to introduce it on June 10.

The Italian car manufacturer Fiat will be launching the Grande Punto. The car is credited with having changed the Fiat’s fortunes in Europe. It has singlehandedly helped Fiat ride out of recession unscathed. Grande Punto is a large hatchback that boasts of a strong built body and the same engineering fitted out in Fiat Linea. Grande Punto boasts of good driving dynamics and loaded interiors. But much of its growth in India will depend on the price tag. Fit already has a luxury small car 500 that has a price tag of Rs 14.85 lakh(ex-showroom Delhi). The tentative launch date is June 17.

One of India’s big three, Tata Motors will launch its loaded Indica Vista saloon in June. While the small car Indica Vista has received encouraging response and Tata Motors expects that the success streak will continue with the new saloon. Tata Motor has employed the same engineering and mechanicals that went into Fiat Linea. Of course, Tata Motors will provide its own design for the body build and the price tag. The large cabin space with refined interiors is one the highlight of the car. A lot of its future depends on its positioning in the market. The new Indica Vista saloon could eat into the entry level sedan segment monopolized by Maruti Suzuki Swift D’zire.

India’s premium luxury car manufacturer Audi is bringing in its new baby the Q5 in the first week of June. The Q5 is called is the smaller version of the massively built Q7. The bigger SUV is highly acclaimed in Europe for its refined quality with brawny attitude. Buyers can expect the same quality of engineering and driving dynamics from the Q5. It is powered by the new 3.0litre TDI engine which comes with the ultra-modern and highly effective seven speed DSG transmission. It also has the Quattro all-wheel-drive-system. Audi plans to market are a highly personalised vehicle with high amount of driver friendly features. The vehicle will be targeted at the people in the higher income bracket. The Audi Q5 SUV will be rivaled by BMW X3 and Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.

Toyota Motors also plans a new avatar for its existing model land Cruiser. It is likely to launch the 4.5 litre diesel engine for the Land Cruiser. The giant proportioned vehicle will be pitched against Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg. The Toyota Land Cruiser is well received by off road crowd for its toughness in the most inhospitable terrain. Toyota is likely to launch the vehicle on June 9 and is expected to sport a heavy price tag.