5 Hot Car Launches for May 2015

Snapshot – May 2015 will play host to 5 hot new cars. Most cars will be facelifts and upgrades of existing ones sold in India, save for a solitary global unveil. The launch blitz for May will begin in days from now, and here’s a gist of what’s coming up this month.

Tata Nano GenX Facelift + AMT

Tata Motors has revamped the Nano with new features and refreshed looks. The car is days away from launch, and even as you’re reading this, in transit to dealerships across the country. The Nano gains refreshed and interiors, a hatch lid, better engine cooling,structural reinforcements and an automated manual transmission. These changes have resulted in the kerb weight going up and the ARAI rated fuel efficiency going down. The 4 speed manual gearbox equipped gearbox is likely to start well within 3 lakh rupees, with the AMT variant being pegged at around 3.25 lakh rupees, ex-showroom Mumbai.

Renault Kayou

The Kayou is the first Renault budget car for India, which will sit under the 4 lakh rupee mark and that will be based on the CMF-A platform. The car will be unveiled in India on the 20th of May, 2015, making the country the destination for this budget hatchback’s global premiere. The official launch will happen in the second half of the year. An 800cc-triple cylinder petrol engine will power the car, while a five speed manual gearbox will be standard fare. Also on the anvil is an AMT option from ZF Sachs, and also a larger, 1 liter petrol motor.

Maruti Suzuki Celerio Diesel

Maruti Suzuki has already begun manufacturing the diesel variant of the Celerio hatchback. The car uses a twin cylinder, 792cc turbo diesel motor, which is the smallest such engine on a car sold in India. The launch of the Celerio Diesel will happen in weeks from now. The Celerio Diesel’s fuel efficiency number will be close to the 30 Kmpl mark, serving to make it the most fuel efficient car in the country. Pricing of the car is likely to be pegged at about 60,000 rupees higher than the manual gearbox equipped, equivalent petrol variant.

Tata Safari Storme Facelift

The facelifted Tata Safari Storme has already reached dealership stockyards across India. The SUV gets a bunch of cosmetic and functional changes, which have been added taking customer feedback into consideration. The Safari Storme Facelift will continue to use the 2.2 liter turbo diesel engine with 320 Nm of torque, but with power boosted to 148 Bhp. A five speed manual gearbox will be offered, with a beefed up clutch. Both rear wheel drive and four wheel drive options will be served up. A new grille and bumper up front are the major cosmetic changes, while the insides of the SUV will gain a new stereo, a new steering and steering mounted audio controls.

Mahindra XUV500 Facelift

The Mahindra XUV500 Facelift will be the first major makeover for the crossover that was first launched in 2011. The facelifted version will gain a new front end. The profile of the vehicle will remain unchanged save for redesigned alloy wheels. The rear will also be unchanged. On the interiors though, new features are likely to be added while a redesigned dashboard is a confirmed change. The 2.2 liter-4 cylinder mHawk turbo diesel engine with 140 Bhp-330 Nm outputs will be retained, along with a 6 speed manual gearbox, and front and all wheel drive options. Automatic and hybrid variants of the crossover are in the offing.