Hot, new SEDANS coming your way this year

The shift in preference towards compact crossovers and hatchbacks is pretty evident but for those who still believe that sedans are best way to commute, here are some cars that’ll land into the Indian market by the end of this year.

Fiat Linea 125S

Fiat India has tried various permutations and combinations with their vehicles and the Linea 125S will be one more. Showcased during the Auto Expo 2016, the Linea 125S will offer more power with the T-Jet engine that has always been preferred by enthusiasts. The car will be powered by 1.4-litre T-Jet petrol engine that also powers the performance cars like Abarth Punto and Abarth 595 Compitezione.

Fiat has kept the exteriors more or less same. The only changes from the current Linea are new 16-inch alloy wheels, new sapphire blue color and the 125 S badge on the rear. The car showcased at the Auto Expo 2016 had dual tone interiors with new infotainment system that features 5-inch display. We do not know what the production version of the Linea 125S will look like but we are expecting the car to look premium.

 

Honda Accord

Honda Accord has remained one of the best choices when it comes to luxury sedans. Even though Honda discontinued the car because of low sales, it is expected that the automaker will re-launch the car in India before the calendar moves to next year. The Accord will come in all-new avatar that was also showcased during the Auto Expo 2016.

The car follows the family design with thick, chrome laden front grille. With the new headlamps and tail lamps, the new Accord does look very premium. Honda may get the Accord with a 2.4-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that produces a maximum of 185 Bhp. Honda may also bring in the Accord hybrid to counter the Camry hybrid. The Accord Hybrid is powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine that generates a maximum of 196 BHP.

Hyundai Elantra

The Elantra facelift is also expected to make its way through to India this year. The new Elantra will be 20mm longer and 25mm wider than the current model, which means more cabin space. The new Elantra will be less fluidic than the outgoing model and will have stronger creases on body.

Other changes include sweptback headlamps, a five-slat hexagonal grille at front and Daytime Running Lamps on the lower front bumper. The rear has also gone through major changes. The new Elantra looks nothing similar to the current model with all the changes in place.

The cabin also gets updated with new 7-inch touch-sensitive infotainment system featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Powering the car will be 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines that are available with the current Elantra. The car is likely to continue with 6-speed manual or automatic transmission options.

Tata Kite 5

Tata’s new strategy of revamping their new car market started with the launch of Zest and announcement of HORIZONEXT. The compact sedan could not do much in terms of attracting the buyers, though. With the new sub 4-metre sedan codenamed Kite 5, this will be Tata’s second attempt to bag success in this segment. The Kite 5 will be based on the recently launched Tata Tiago.

The Kite 5 was also shown at the Tata’s pavilion at Auto Expo 2016. The car looks quite good, and given the price of Tiago, the Kite 5 could also be priced very attractively, undercutting competition. The Kite 5 will feature similar equipment like the Tiago, and with exactly the same engine options. The petrol motor will be 1.2-litre Revotron three-cylinder petrol engine that produces a maximum of 85 PS while the 1.05-litre diesel engine produces 70 PS of maximum power. Unlike the Zest, we may not see option of AMT with the Kite 5.

Skoda Rapid facelift

Image Source: TeamBHP

The facelifted Skoda Rapid has been long awaited. The facelift will feature the following. The projector lamps are now sleeker and are smoked, horizontal fog lamps, new grille, and redesigned front bumper. The car will also get new five-spoke alloy wheels. On the rear, redesigned tail lamps and chrome strip on the boot lid are the 2 changes.

Interior changes will see new fabric upholstery, a flat-bottom steering wheel like VW cars, and a new infotainment system with MirrorLink to replicate your phone screen on the car’s system. The powerplant of the car will continue to be the same as now.

There will be a 1.6-litre petrol engine with maximum power of 103 Bhp, while the 1.5-litre diesel engine will produce the same amount of power as the petrol but much more torque. A 5 speed manual gearbox will be standard, with the petrol getting a 6 speed automatic option, and the diesel getting a 7 speed, twin clutch automatic option.