Honda Amaze to Mahindra Alturas: India’s 10 top ‘trending’ cars

The year 2018 is finally coming to an end and it has been quite an eventful year to say the least. Starting with the Delhi Auto Expo, It saw the launch of many important vehicles like the Hyundai Santro, Mahindra Marazzo to exotic

like the Rolls Royce Phantom and Lamborghini Urus. Then some of the icons like the Maruti gypsy and Omni were discontinued to apart from a slew of other cars that we bid farewell to. Now as we stare back towards the whole year, it’s tough to tell which car has been more important and which has been more popular as a lot of cars qualify for the same.

Thankfully, like always, Google came to rescue and provided the top trending cars of 2018. Based on user search results and numerous other factors, the list is quite different from what you might have guessed. Here are the top 10 trending cars of 2018 with some wild card entries included.

1. Honda Amaze

The Honda Amaze has become an example for other manufacturers on how to turn a mediocre product into a top selling one based on user feedback and market research. The previous generation Amaze was based on Brio hatchback and never really took off. However, the new Amaze came in with a fresh design, ample amount of cabin space, class leading boot storage along with frugal yet powerful engine options. Automatic option with a diesel motor is another factor that worked for Honda. No doubt it has become the second best selling compact sedan in a short span of time.

2. Mahindra Marazzo

The Marazzo was Mahindra’s most ambitious project till date. It was build from grounds up and the company sought all expertise from its foreign subsidiaries on the project. Starting at around Rs. 9.99 lakhs, the MPV has no real competition. It comes with many unique features too and has a unique chassis that is an amalgamation of monocoque with ladder frame. Mahindra is planning to bring in a petrol engine option along with an automatic transmission for the Marazzo soon, which would increase its buyer base for sure.

3. Toyota Yaris

The first surprise entry of this list is the Toyota Yaris. Surprise because despite the sincere efforts by Toyota, the Yaris has been a constant dud seller. Barring some oldies like Qualis, Toyota is yet to launch a successful product under Rs. 10 lakh price tag, especially in hatchback and sedan segment. The Yaris is a big name overseas and we had high hopes from the car but that didn’t quite happen. Anyway, that’s number three of top 10 trending cars for you.

4. Hyundai Santro

Hyundai brought back the Santro name after an online poll. The new Santro brings in many class leading features to the table and carries a very attractive price tag of Rs. 3.89 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the base model. The car has become an instant hit and entered the top 10 selling cars list in just two months of its launch. Around 15,000 bookings were made even before the launch and recently, Hyundai had to stop bookings after the waiting period touched almost four months.

5. Ford Freestyle

The Freestyle is Ford’s answer to the likes of Toyota Etios Cross and Fiat Avventura among others. It has been pitched as a rough and tough vehicle for the urban jungle. It is the first crossover vehicle from Ford in India and is based on the Figo hatchback. Powering the Freestyle is a 1.2-litre 3-cylinder engine which has come out to be a real gem. The unique design was among the factors which lead the Freestyle to be another surprise entrant in this list.

6. Maruti Suzuki Ertiga

Maruti Suzuki recently launched the new Ertiga and it is bigger and better than the car it replaces in every way. Based on the new Heartect platform by Maruti and also has a new petrol engine under the hood. Maruti has creased out all the complaints of the previous Ertiga with this new model. It offers better space and starts at an attractive price point of Rs. 7.44 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). Rightly thenit is the 6 most searched car this year.

7. Jeep Wrangler

TJeep recently launched the new generation Wrangler in the International markets. However, there is still some time before the new model comes to India and the current Wrangler Unlimited will be continued to be sold here. Therefore, it was quite a surprise to see the Wrangler on this list. The Wrangler is an Iconic vehicle known for its go anywhere capabilities and is one of the best vehicles you can buy if you want mad off road fun.

8. BMW 6-Series GT

Another surprise entrant on the list, the BMW 6 GT is premium vehicle and such type of cars usually don’t make it to India’s top searched list. It has a base price of Rs. 60.80 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi), which definitely proves that it’s on a whole different level. The GT in the name means its a Grand Tourer and the boot lid can be opened like a hatch. It was launched at the 2018 Delhi Auto Expo and was among the main attraction in the BMW stands.

 

9. BMW X3

Another BMW vehicle on this list, but this time its the X3 SUV. Had it been the X1 we probably would not have been so surprised but the X3 was certainly a shock for us. The older generation X3 wasn’t very popular in India but one look at this one and it was definitely a winner. The new BMW X3 comes laden with features like LED headlamps, an all digital instrument cluster and a display key fob, which created interest in the SUV. This then is the 9th vehicle in the trending list of vehicles.

10. Mahindra Alturas G4

The Alturas G4 is the current flagship vehicle of the Mahindra lineup and was among the most awaited launches of this year. It is a rebadged  SsangYong Rexton G4 and apart from the name and badge change, is almost identical to the Ssangyong SUV. The Alturas G4 is larger and cheaper than its main rival, the Toyota Fortuner and also comes with many class leading features. With this, Mahindra has finally entered into the big SUV league and has high hopes from the SUV.

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