Upcoming hatchbacks in India: New Maruti Alto to Tata Altroz EV

The years 2019 and 2020 will see quite a good number of new cars and facelifts being launched in the market. This is mainly because of the upcoming stricter emission and safety norms which have led to many manufacturers to refresh their models or discontinue them. Also, some new players will enter the market in the meantime like Kia, MG and possibly Citroen, which translate into another slew of new cars being launched. Hatchbacks will again be one of the focus points of these launches, though SUVs have stolen their thunder to some extent. If you have been planning to buy a hatchback anytime soon, read this list before making up your mind.

Renault Kwid Facelift

Expected Launch Timeline: End 2019 

The Kwid facelift has been in works since about a year and the company will finally launch it during or after the festive season this year. It will come with updated features with several safety enhancements like standard driver side airbag, ABS and EBD. The interiors would get a boost too and come with an updated infotainment unit and redesigned instrument cluster among others. Renault is likely to continue the same engine and gearbox options as on the current model. Also, some reports suggest that Renault will not increase the price of the car which makes it a good package.

New Maruti Suzuki Alto

Expected Launch Timeline: End 2019

The upcoming all-new Maruti Suzuki Alto will be based on the Future S concept. It will have a slight SUV-ish design language and stance and will be based on the HEARTECT platform. the car has a center mounted instrument cluster with orange backlighting and a touch infotainment system is also likely to be present. Talking about the engine, Maruti could equip the new car with the 1.0-litre K-Series engine. This engine makes 68PS of power along with 90Nm of torque. A 5-speed manual gearbox along with an AMT box could be offered. The car will be priced in the same bracket as the current model is and will rival the likes of the Renault Kwid and Datsun Redi-Go upon launch.

Renault Kwid EV

Expected Launch Timeline: 2021

Renault has confirmed that they will launch an electric variant of the Kwid in India, which will be their first EV in India. Though details about the powertrain of the car are not yet known, the car is likely to have a range of about 250 km. It will get full LED headlamps and a redesigned bumper, though most of the body design will be similar to the regular Kwid hatchback. The car will be developed for the Chinese market and will later enter the Indian market if there is a demand. Renault has not mentioned any timeline for the future developments, but we expect that the French manufacturer will launch the vehicles over next 2-3 years.

Tata Tiago EV

Expected Launch Timeline: May 2019

Apart from the Altroz EV, Tata is also working on the electric version of the Tiago hatchback. The much-awaited all-electric Tiago will most probably be launched during the second quarter of this year, possibly in March. the car will have an 85kW electric motor, which means near about 115 PS of power from the motor. The motor will be placed in the engine bay and will turn the front wheels. The torque of the electric motor is rated at 200Nm and the motor will be mated to a single-speed transmission. The range of the car is approximately up to 140 km. Further, it’s expected to be competitively priced thanks to various subsidies under the government’s FAME II policy.

New Hyundai Grand i10

Expected Launch Timeline: Q4 2019

Hyundai will give its popular mid-level hatchback a boost this year. The all-new Santro will come with a new fresh design and will be based on an all-new platform. It is expected that the company will increase its footprint too. On the inside, it will come with features like a touchscreen infotainment system with Mirror Link, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Hyundai may also update the dashboard to offer plusher interiors. The engine details of the upcoming cars are not known yet, but Hyundai is expected to offer the same 1.2-litre petrol engine with the all-new Grand i10. The engine may get revamped to meet the upcoming BS-VI norms. Expect the launch to happen during the first month of Quarter 4, 2019.

Tata Altroz

Expected Launch Timeline: Q4 2019

Tata showcased the Altroz premium hatchback in Geneva this month and the car for sure looks promising. It is based on the ALFA platform which will underpin several other Tata cars like the Blackbird and the Hornbill. As for the design, the car looks quite smart and is designed on the lines of Tata’s IMPACT 2.0 design philosophy. It will come with well-equipped interiors which includes a 7-inch floating touchscreen, auto climate control, large MID and a flat bottom steering among others. As for the powertrains, the Altroz will be equipped with Nexon’s 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine along with the naturally-aspirated version of this engine. It is also expected to get the 1.5-litre diesel engine from the Nexon, albeit in a lower state of tune. A 5-speed manual will do the transmission duties while an AMT too could be offered.

Toyota Baleno

Expected Launch Timeline: Q3 2019

Maruti Suzuki and Toyota Kirloskar signed a deal in India sometime back which translates into both the manufacturers sharing car platforms and technology among other things. Among the slew of cross-branded cars and models expected to be launched from the partnership, the first one will most probably be the rebadged version of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno. Toyota will get a total of 25,000 units of the Baleno in the first year. The rebadged version of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno is expected to get a lot of changes in terms of design. It is also expected to be priced a bit higher than the Maruti Suzuki Baleno.

Tata Altroz EV

Expected Launch Timeline: 2020

Tata also showcased the Altroz EV at the Geneva Motor Show this month. It shares its platform and design language with the Altroz premium hatchback, and also has the same dimensions as the latter. The Altroz EV will be powered by a Permanent Magnet AC Motor and will come with a single speed gearbox. The battery could be charged up to 80% in just 60 minutes, which will boost its everyday usage. Another noteworthy thing here is that the car will have an estimated range of about 250-300 km, which is quite decent going by the current EV standards in India. Expect the launching to be done somewhere in 2020, probably during the third quarter.