There have been some real interesting car launches this year so far, however, it appears that manufacturers have saved July to unleash three of the most important cars of the year – Hyundai Creta Compact SUV, Honda Jazz and Maruti Suzuki S-Cross crossover.
Two of them, Creta and S-Cross, will be absolute new offerings for our market and the Jazz will be a comeback story… Let us quickly talk about them one by one…
Maruti Suzuki S-Cross:
- Category: C2 Compact SUV/Crossover
- Exp Launch Date: July first half, possibly 7th
- Exp Price Range: Rs 9 Lakhs to 14 Lakhs
- Competition: Creta, Duster, Terrano
S-Cross will be Maruti Suzuki’s attempt to pull out some volumes from Duster and others in the C2 segment of compact SUVs. Their Grand Vitara was a market dud and never really got into volumes even by that segment standards, however, it appears that the company this time is dead serious.
The biggest USP of S-Cross is expected to be its 1.6 liter Multijet diesel engine which will be sourced from Fiat and will mark its debut here. It churns out 120 hp of power and 320 Nm of torque. Though the styling is muted, it is expected to rake in some significant volumes from the competition.
Complete coverage of S-Cross including Spyshots
Honda Jazz:
- Category: B2 premium hatchback
- Exp Launch Date: 8th July
- Exp Price Range: Rs 5 Lakhs to 8 Lakhs
- Competition: i20, Polo, YRA
If you have ever driven the Jazz, chances are that you would have fallen in love with what it offered. However, despite being a fantastic offering, it failed owing to its higher sticker prices. This time Honda has prepared the car with a lot of localization and most importantly, the 1.5 liter diesel engine. The car is expected to be a real volume churner and a tough competition to Hyundai i20 and Volkswagen Polo. The petrol motor will be the same 1.2 liter I-VTEC. Bookings are officially underway…
Complete coverage of Jazz including Spyshots
Hyundai Creta:
- Category: C2 Compact SUV
- Exp Launch Date: 21st July
- Exp Price Range: Rs 7 Lakhs to 13 Lakhs
- Competition: S-Cross, Duster, Terrano
The second SUV for the month will be Hyundai Creta. This is an all-new offering for our market and will be Hyundai’s attempt to gun Duster and Terrano down. It will also have to face the onslaught of Maruti’s S-Cross. In terms of engines, it will come with Verna’s 1.6 liter petrol and diesel motors and there is a possibility of a 1.4 liter diesel mill as well.
Hyundai has promised a luring price tag and so far whatever Hyundai has launched has been a hit and Creta is expected to follow suit.
Complete coverage of Creta including clear spyshots
If you are in the market for a car before or around the festive season, here are your three fresh new choices….
