News highlights of the day include Kia, Hyundai, Mahindra and Tata Motors.
Kia QYI – Kia has officially confirmed the launch of their compact SUV codenamed QYI in the second half of 2020. It is based on the Hyundai Venue and will share a lot of mechanicals with its sibling but with a totally different styling.
Kia Carnival – The Kia Carnival MPV is officially confirmed for its launch at the 2020 Auto Expo on 5th, February. Bookings for the MPV has begun across select dealerships. It will be powered by a 2.2-litre BS6 compliant diesel engine. It will compete against the Toyota Innova Crysta in the Indian market but with a higher price than its rival.
Hyundai Aura – Bookings for the new compact sedan Hyundai Aura have commenced. The booking amount is Rs. 10,000/-. The Aura will be available with three BS6 compliant engine options – 1.0-litre turbo petrol, 1.2-litre petrol and 1.2-litre diesel. Hyundai will be offering 12 variants. Pricing will be announced on 21st January.
Mahindra XUV300 – The compact SUV from Mahindra has sold more than 40,000 units in the country within 11 months of launch. Based on the SsangYong Tivoli platform, the Mahindra XUV300 has managed to attract a lot of buyers in the country.
Kia Seltos – The Kia Seltos is selling in high numbers since its launch and has crossed more than 1 lakh bookings recently. The Korean carmaker has now increased the pricing of the car by Rs. 20,000/- to Rs. 35,000/- across all variants of the compact SUV.
Tata Altroz EV – Tata Motors showcased the Altroz near-production car for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show. Along with the regular IC version, they also revealed the electric version of the Altroz. The Tata Altroz EV is now expected to hit the showrooms in 2021. For now the Indian carmaker is focusing on the launch of the Tata Nexon EV.
Motor Trivia – Did you know, the Maruti 800 got a 5-speed manual transmission in 2001 which was a big deal for the car back then that it came with a ‘5-Speed’ sticker. Before that, it had a 4-speed manual gearbox.
Comment of the day – Mahesh Thampi – “Hero MotoCorp has already proved that even very old engines can be made BS6 compliant. If Hero can do it, other companies can definitely do it.”
