Five Car Launches to Watch Out for in January 2015

Snapshot – A brand new year is here and car makers in India are readying up a slew of launches for the Indian market. January is that month of the year when car buyers who have deferred their purchases for the new year enter the market in a big way. 2015’s January will see no less than four new car getting launched across multiple segments. CarToq gives you a quick round up of the five car launches to watch out for in January 2015. 

Datsun Go+ MPV

The Datsun Go+ MPV will be Nissan’s second stab at India’s budget car segment. The Go+ is likely to command a price as low as 3.49 lakh rupees considering the fact that it is essentially a wagon version of the Go hatchback. Sharp pricing will be critical considering the minimal success that station wagons have enjoyed in India. The Go+ will be a petrol-only car, with a 1.2 liter-3 cylinder motor from the Go getting transplanted onto the MPV pretender. The Go+ will be aimed at family car buyers looking for a vehicle that is spacious enough for five adults with boot space to spare. 15th January is when the MPV will be launched here.

CarToq’s First Drive Review of the Datsun Go+ MPV

Tata Bolt B+ Segment Hatchback

Tata Motors’ first big launch of the year will happen on the 20th of January, when the Indian automaker launches the Bolt B+ segment hatchback. The Bolt will be sold with turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. Based on a reworked Tata X1 platform, the Bolt shares parts with the Zest compact sedan. While the Bolt also shares its interiors with the Zest, the all-black colour scheme for the dashboard is a differentiating factor. An AMT version of the Bolt will arrive in the months to come. The Bolt will undercut the Zest in terms of pricing. Expect the hatchback to get a price tag close to the 4 lakh rupee mark.

CarToq’s First Drive Review of the Bolt B+ Hatchback

Mercedes Benz CLA Sedan

Mercedes Benz will kickstart proceedings of 2015 with the CLA luxury sedan. Based on the MFA platform that embodies a front wheel drive layout to make for affordable and fuel efficient luxury cars, the CLA will be Mercedes Benz’s least priced sedan in India. The car will sit below the C-Class in terms of price and positioning. A sub-30 lakh rupee starting price is likely. The car will be sold with 2 liter turbo petrol and 2.2 liter turbo diesel engines. A 7 speed twin clutch automatic transmission and a front wheel drive layout will be common on both the petrol and diesel powered CLA sedan. The car will be launched on the 22nd of January, 2015.

Fiat 500 Abarth Competizione

Fiat will hit the Abarth button for India in January 2015, with the launch of the 500 Competizione high performance hatchback. The Abarth Competizione car is based on the Fiat 500 hatchback, albeit with performance upgrades to boot. A 1.4 liter-4 cylinder turbo petrol engine that makes 158 Bhp-230 Nm will drive the front wheels of the car. A 5 speed automated manual transmission with a Sport mode will be standard fare. The car will arrive into India as a completely built unit (CBU). Prices are expected to be close to the 30 lakh rupee mark, strictly making the Fiat Abarth 500 a brand builder that seeks to establish the Abarth high performance brand in the country.

Toyota Fortuner 2.5 D-4D & 3.0 4X4 AT

The mighty Toyota Fortuner will get another shot in the arm in January, in the form of two new variants. The two new variants of the 7 seat luxury SUV include a 2.5 liter D-4D turbo diesel engined model and a 3 liter D-4D model with a 5 speed automatic transmission. The 2.5 D-4D diesel engined Fortuner will use a rear wheel drive layout and a five speed manual gearbox. The 2.5 liter diesel motor will make 143 Bhp-343 Nm, while the 3 liter motor will retain its 171 Bhp-343 Nm outputs. The Fortuner 2.5 Diesel will be the least priced variant in the SUV’s line up, with a price tag likely to be pegged at 21 lakh rupees. The 3.0 D-4D Fortuner on the other hand will be the highest priced variant, with a price tag nudging the 25 lakh rupee mark. The new Fortuner variants are also expected to get all-black interiors.