The next four weeks will be exciting for new car buyers as three important car launches are lined up for this period. The first car to launch will be the Nissan Sunny (September 20^th), the second will be Honda’s small car, Brio (September 27^th) and the third will be the Skoda Rapid sedan set to launched on October 7^th. Here’s what buyers can expect.

Nissan Sunny

Nissan India will launch the Sunny petrol sedan on September 20^th 2011. The Sunny has a bold front grille and attractive wraparound headlights. The car’s roofline tapers towards the rear as it would in a two door coupe. The light shades brighten up things on the inside.

Photo: Nissan India will launch the Sunny petrol sedan on September 20th 2011

The Sunny has borrowed many bits from the Micra such as the steering wheel and the chrome door handles. The rear-seat legroom of over 636-mm allows you to sit with your legs comfortably stretched even if the front seat is pushed back completely. The 490 litre boot with a low boot lip will help load and unload luggage with ease.

Engine

The Nissan Sunny is powered by a 1.5 litre petrol motor that produces 98 bhp of maximum power and 134 Nm of maximum torque. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. The ARAI-certified fuel economy of the Sunny is 16.95 kmpl. Read more on the first impressions of the Nissan Sunny.

Price & Competition

The Sunny will likely be priced in the Rs. 6 – 8 lakh range, which lies between the entry-level sedan, Toyota Etios (Rs. 5.54 – 6.97 lakh) and the premium sedan, Hyundai Verna (Rs. 6.99 – 9.64 lakh).

Nissan Sunny will lock horns with Honda City, Volkswagen Vento, Maruti Suzuki SX4, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Verna, Maruti Dzire and Toyota Etios. Read more about the Nissan Sunny here.

Honda Brio

The Brio launch is very important for Honda as the Japanese auto giant is competing with established cars in the sub – 5 lakh segment for the first time.

The Brio has been crafted to ensure a unique stance and has a stylish design. This little Honda is a very compact car, it measures 3.6 m x 1.68 m x 1.47 m (length x width x height), making it ideal for urban commuting.

Photo: Honda will launch the Brio on September 27th

The Brio is surprisingly spacious on the inside despite its compact dimensions on the outside. The rear seats are spacious too with enough leg and head room for tall people; sadly it can only seat two occupants comfortably. Boot space of 175 litres is below average size for a car of its class.

Engine

The Brio is powered by 1.2-litre i-vtec engine (found in Jazz) that produces 87 bhp of power, 109 Nm of torque and mated to 5-speed manual transmission. The Brio has an edge over its rivals as it has the best power-to-weight ratio (95.13 bhp per tonne) in its class.   An ARAI-certified mileage of 18.4 kmpl makes the Brio as frugal as the new Maruti Swift (18.6 kmpl).

Price & Competition

The estimated price of the Brio starts from Rs. 4.3 lakh and to likely go up to Rs. 5 lakh. If the speculated base variant (without airbags & ABS) is indeed, launched, then the prices of Brio may start from below Rs. 4 lakh.

Honda Brio will take on the Maruti Suzuki Ritz, Hyundai i10, Chevrolet Beat and Maruti Suzuki A-Star. Read more about the Honda Brio here.

Skoda Rapid

Skoda will launch the Mission L-based sedan (yet to be named) on October 7^th. The Skoda sedan will have design elements of the Mission L concept the company showcased at the Frankfurt Auto Show couple of days ago.

Photo: This is the Skoda Mission L concept on which the Lauretta will be based

Test mules of the sedan indicate that it will also take design cues from the Volkswagen Vento and the Skoda Fabia. The interiors of the sedan are expected to be as spacious as the Volkswagen Vento, on which it is based and may also have rear AC vents.

Engine

The upcoming Skoda saloon will be powered by the same 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines which also do duty in the Vento. The 1.6 litre petrol engine of Lauretta will put out 104 bhp of power and 153 Nm of torque. The engine will likely be mated to a 5-speed manual transmission and an optional 6-speed automatic transmission.

The 1.6 litre diesel engine of the Lauretta will put out 104 bhp of power and 250 Nm of torque and will likely be offered with only a 5-speed manual transmission.

Price & Competition

We can expect the Skoda sedan to be priced at roughly Rs. 6.5-7.5 lakh for the base variant and prices may go up to Rs. 11-12 lakh for the top end variant.

The car will compete with the Maruti Suzuki SX4, Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Fiat Linea, new Ford Fiesta and its own cousin the Volkswagen Vento.

So are you likely to shortlist any of these cars for buying? Share your views!