Six upcoming sub-4 lakh rupee budget hatchback cars for 2014 and 2015

Snapshot – In the Indian car market, the entry level, budget car segment is where all the volumes action is. While Maruti Suzuki continues to be the most dominant force in the sub-4 lakh rupee car segment, Hyundai is a strong second player. Other car makers have constantly played catch up in this segment and a rash of new small cars are India bound in the next 18 months. CarToq lists out six such car models and their facelifts.

Maruti Alto 800 and K10 Facelifts

The Maruti Alto 800 has ceded ground from being India’s best selling car to India’s third best selling car in May 2014, after more than a decade of dominance. The Alto 800 and the 1 liter, petrol engined K10 versions will both go under the knife for mid life facelifts. The mid-life facelifts of both cars are expected to arrive as early as this festive season. Apart from a revamped front end, the Alto 800 and K10 models are expected to get additional features to fend off increasing competition from new upstarts such as the Datsun Go and the Hyundai Eon 1.0.

Tata Nano Facelift, Turbo and AMT

 

Tata Motors is readying up a facelifted version of the Nano hatchback for this festive season. The facelifted Nano will get revised front and rear styling, with new bumpers. Quality levels on the inside will be turned up a few notches while the car will also get new features such as the open-able hatch lid and a larger fuel tank. Also on the anvil is the 5 speed AMT equipped Nano, which could make its debut by the end of this year or early next year. Another major story around the Nano concerns a new, turbocharged version of the car, which will be positioned as a sporty variant.

Maruti Alto K10 AMT

Maruti Suzuki will equip the facelifted Alto K10 hatchback with an automated manual transmission (AMT), a best-in-class feature among budget hatchbacks. The 1 liter-3 cylinder K-Series petrol engine and 5 speed AMT combination is already doing duty on the successful Celerio hatchback. So, adapting it to work on the Alto K10 should be a straight forward affair. The Alto K10 AMT is expected to make its debut in early 2015. The AMT equipped car is likely to command a 40,000 rupee premium over a similar manual gearbox equipped variant.

Datsun RediGo

Nissan will directly gun for the Maruti Alto’s jugular with the Datsun RediGo, a tall boy hatchback that will be priced below the Go. The RediGo will feature an 800 cc-3 cylinder petrol engine developed by the Renault-Nissan technical center at Chennai, where much of the engineering work for the RediGo is said to be taking place. The RediGo will be based on Renault-Nissan’s CMF-A (common module family) platform, and is expected to bring in the big numbers for Nissan’s Indian operations. An India launch in the middle of 2015 is on the cards for the Datsun RediGo.

Renault A-Entry (XBA)

The Renault A-Entry, also known as the XBA, is the upmarket sibling of the Datsun RediGo. The A-Entry will be Renault’s first sub-4 lakh rupee car in India, and will be positioned below the Pulse in terms of pricing. The car is expected to offer more creature comforts than the Datsun RediGo in order to maintain a clear differentiation between the Datsun and Renault brands. The A-Entry however, will be powered by the same 800 cc petrol engine that will also be offered on the RediGo. With the A-Entry, Renault India will be hoping to recreate the success of the Duster SUV.

Render courtesy NoticiasAutomotivas

Tata Kite

Tata Motors will slot in the Kite hatchback between the Nano and the Indica. A tall-boy hatchback designed to appeal to small car buyers, the Kite will roll out of Tata Motors’ Sanand factory, which is currently being underutilized by the slow selling Nano. The Kite will be based on the all-new Advanced Modular Platform (AMP) and is expected to spawn a compact sedan namesake. Turbo petrol and turbo diesel engines could be offered on the Kite, an important product for Tata Motors, even as the Indian automaker seeks to turnaround its fortunes here.

Render courtesy Team-BHP