6 great car COMEBACKS to look forward to

With the changed market preferences, a lot of cars have been taken off the market in India. While many of such cars are gone for good, some of these cars are all set to make big comebacks in the market. A few cars like Honda Accord and Hyundai Tucson have already re-entered the Indian market. Here are 6 more comeback cars to look forward to.

Honda Civic

Once upon a time in India, Honda Civic garnered a premium status and became the dream car of many people. It was  one of the first D-Segment cars in the country, and one that had a futuristic design. Sometime around 2013, the Civic disappeared from India because of its dwindling sales. Back then, Honda did not offer any diesel engine option with the Civic, making it pricey to run as petrol prices hit the roof.

Yoichiro Ueno, MD & CEO, Honda Cars India has hinted the comeback of the Civic multiple times. As per him, the Honda City owners will look to upgrade in coming times and the Honda Civic will make perfect sense for them.

The Civic is now in its 10th generation and it looks nothing like the car that was available in India. The car gets all-LED headlamps and a very sporty design. In all probability, Honda will bring the car with 1.8-litre naturally aspirated and a more powerful 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engines. The diesel variant will be powered by a 1.6-litre engine.

Hyundai Santro

The popular Santro moniker will make a comeback in India soon. The Santro will fill the gap between entry-level Eon and the Grand i10, taking the place of i10. Santro is one of the most successful Hyundai cars in India and was on sale from 1997 to 2015. The South Korean manufacturer is working on the upcoming car that will be unveiled in India by early next year.

The Santro legacy will be carried forward but the vehicle will be an all-new one. Hyundai will ditch the tall boy layout and it will be designed to attract young buyers. The Santro will be inspired from the ix-Metro concept. Hyundai will power the car with 1.0-litre petrol engine from Eon that produces a maximum of 68.5 Bhp – 94 Nm. A more powerful 1.2-litre engine producing 82 Bhp – 116 Nm torque from Grand i10 could also be offered.

Volkswagen Passat

Volkswagen’s premium offerings like Passat and Phaeton were taken off the shelves due to poor response from the market. The German brand will now bring back the premium sedan back to the market soon. The all-new Passat that will come to India has become lighter and offers much more space than before.

The Passat will go against the likes of Audi A4 in India but it will have the advantage of hybrid. Volkswagen is contemplating on bring the Passat GTE alongside the regular model. The plug-in hybrid GTE gets a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine that develops a maximum power of 154 Bhp.

The hybrid electric motor adds another 112 Bhp. Working together both the engines puts out a maximum power of 215 Bhp. The car will be offered only with 6-speed DSG transmission.

Nissan X-Trail

The X-Trail was offered in India for a substantial time before Nissan stopped the sales in 2014. The X-Trail will make a comeback in an all-new avatar soon. This will be the second SUV in Nissan India’s portfolio after the Terrano. The growing popularity of the SUVs in India will be a good time for Nissan to launch the X-Trail.

Nissan showcased the X-Trail in 2016 Auto Expo. It will become the second hybrid SUV in India after the Volvo XC90 T8. The car will be offered only with the hybrid powertrain. The car will be powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine that produces a maximum of 145 Bhp – 207 Nm. An additional 40 Bhp – 107 Nm will be provided by the hybrid electric motor. The X-Trail be imported as a Completely Built Unit (CBU) and will carry a price tag of about Rs. 35 lakh.

Skoda Octavia vRS

Skoda Octavia vRS was one of the first affordable performance oriented cars in India. The sedan was launched way back in 2004 and till date, a lot of enthusiasts want to have one in their garage. Skoda has confirmed the launch of Octavia vRS by the end of this year.

The vRS will be powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine that produces a maximum power of 227 Bhp and 350 Nm of torque. There are also reports suggesting that Skoda may bring the  vRS with the 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine that produces 182 Bhp of power and 380 Nm of peak torque.

Mitsubishi Outlander

Mitsubishi has lost hold of the Indian market completely. The Japanese brand currently offers the Pajero Sport and Montero in India. The company will soon launch the Outlander to the market. The previous generation Outlander was a very popular vehicle in the market and sold in decent numbers.

Mitsubishi is already testing a few units of the vehicle on the Indian soil and the launch is imminent. The Outlander will be offered in 7 seat layout to take on the competition like Honda CR-V. The SUV will be powered by 2.4-litre MIVEC engine that produces a maximum power of 165 Bhp and 222 Nm of torque.