Upcoming Hybrids for India

With the emphasis on clean and green environment, people are car companies are now looking at hybrid vehicles pretty seriously in the Indian market. This coupled with the fact that there is a rebate offered on hybrids, consumers are now shifting towards them. Keeping this in mind, many manufacturers are coming up with various hybrids, be it mild or full fledged ones. Here are a few upcoming hybrids:

Hyundai Verna

Expected price: Rs 10-15 lakhs

Mild hybrid

Hyundai is in the process of bringing in the all new Verna to India. The vehicle has already made its global debut in China and is expected to reach our shores sometime next year. The Verna has been losing out to the City and the Ciaz over the past year. To make the fight interesting, Hyundai will also bring in a mild hybrid version of the Verna, something similar to what is on offer in the Ciaz. This basically will have an electric motor that can store energy that would have been lost while braking. This will also help assist the vehicle when the engine is under load, however it cannot power the vehicle or increase the output. This system will reduce emissions and help increase fuel economy.

Toyota Innova

Expected price: Rs 15- 20 lakhs

Mild hybrid

In an interview to HT, Akito Tachibana, managing director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor said that they are working on mild hybrid versions of both the Innova and the Fortuner. Now details on launch haven’t been revealed, but it will surely be a mild hybrid system, similar to that on the Ciaz. Details on which engine this will be mated with aren’t clear yet, maybe the 2.8 liter diesel or the 2.7 liter petrol.

Toyota Fortuner

Expected price: Rs 25-30 lakhs 

Mild hybrid

Like we mentioned above, the Fortuner will also be getting the mild hybrid system soon. Currently the Fortuner comes with 2 engine options, the 2.7 liter petrol and the 2.8 liter diesel, in auto and manual forms both. The mild hybrid system helps to improve fuel economy. It will also get benefits under FAME which  means it’ll be cheaper to buy as well.

Toyota Prius

Expected price: Rs 30-40 lakhs

Full hybrid

The Prius brand name is all set to make a come back to the Indian market. The vehicle was introduced at the Auto Expo back in February and was also showcased at a recent event held by Toyota. The Prius is pretty famous across the world as a hybrid. The vehicle is powered by a 1.8 liter engine making 96 Bhp and 142 Nm, running on the Atkinson cycle. This engine is mated to an electric motor making 71 Bhp and 163 Nm. The overall fuel efficiency figures for the Prius is 40 kmpl.

Nissan X-Trail

Expected price: Rs 35 lakhs 

Full hybrid

Nissan will be re-introducing their mid size SUV, the X-Trail in India sometime next year. The car will be offered as a hybrid. Nissan has already introduced a micro site containing all the information on the car. It is powered by a 2.0 liter petrol engine mated to an electric motor. The system drives all 4-wheels and is mated to CVT gearbox. The engine produces 141 Bhp and 200 Nm where as the motor produces 40 Bhp. This will be the first hybrid compact SUV when introduced.

VW Passat GTE

Expected price: Rs 40 lakhs

Full hybrid

VW is also bringing back the Passat to India and showcased the GTE hybrid at the Expo earlier this year. We expect the company to bring in the same when the car is launched later next year. Powering it is a 1.4 liter TSi engine making 151 Bhp and it is mated to an electric motor whcih makes 112 Bhp. The combined output is 214 Bhp and 400 Nm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed DSG. The car can do 30-35 kms on a full charge and also has the option to plug in and charge, something that no other hybrid in this price bracket offers.

Hyundai Ioniq

Expected price: Rs 40 lakhs

Full hybrid

The Ioniq will also be coming to India by 2018. The Ioniq comes in 3 variants, a hybrid, a plug in hybrid or a full electric one. The hybrid is powered by a 1.6 liter petrol engine that makes 105 Bhp and 147 Nm. The electric motor on the other hand makes 60 Bhp. The system is mated to a 6 speed DCT. This will be an interesting product to look out for.

In addition to this, we will also have the Lexus ES and the RX hybrids which will be introduced early next year in a price range of Rs 60 lakhs to 1.2 Crores. Honda has imported a City hybrid, which is on sale in Japan and Mitsubishi has imported the Outlander hybrid as well. Though there is no concrete proof that these cars will come soon, there is a possibility that they will be launched. Maruti may also bring in the mild hybrid versions of the Baleno, Ignis and Swift. There are a lot of hybrids coming our way in the next year.

Source: Link