Upcoming small car launches between now and December 2011

The second half of 2011 is going to be exciting for small car buyers, especially in the Rs. 4 lakh to Rs. 6 lakh segment. Here is a comprehensive list of upcoming small car launches for the rest of the year.

Toyota Liva –June 2011

The Toyota Liva small car is the bootless version of the Toyota Etios. The Liva will inherit the USP of the Etios, it is a practical car with loads of space on the inside and a practical boot. The light weight body of the Liva will facilitate better fuel efficiency as well.

The Liva will be powered by a 1.2 litre petrol engine that is expected to make 70-80 bhp of maximum power. The Liva petrol will be a frugal car with decent mileage as the car’s body weight will be less.

The Liva diesel will likely be launched by the end of 2011 or early 2012 and the diesel variant of both the LIva and Etios Sedan will be powered by a 1.4 litre D-4D engine of the Toyota Corolla Altis

The Liva will be the volume driver for Toyota in India, and will likely be priced in the Rs. 4 lakh to Rs. 5.5 lakh range. Toyota Liva will take on Ford Figo, Nissan Micra, Chevrolet Beat, Maruti Swift and Tata Indica Vista.

Toyota Liva will be launched on June 27th 2011. To know more, click here.

Chevrolet Beat Diesel – July first week 2011

The Chevrolet Beat diesel is a much anticipated launch as rising petrol prices are forcing small car buyers to go for diesel versions. The Chevrolet Beat diesel will be powered by a locally-built, 996 cc, 3-cylinder diesel motor that makes 56 bhp of maximum power, 150 Nm of maximum torque and will be mated to a 5-speed transmission.

The Beat diesel returns a claimed mileage of 24 km/litre. The Beat diesel will retain all the features and equipment found in the Beat petrol version.

With high degree of localization, the Beat diesel is expected to cost around Rs.40,000 more than the petrol variant. The possible price range of Beat diesel is Rs. 3.95 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh.

Expect Chevrolet to launch the Beat diesel during the first week of July 2011. The Beat diesel will lock horns with the diesel variants of Maruti Ritz, Ford Figo and its likes. To know more, click here.

Maruti Swift – August 2011

The most-anticipated launch among small cars in India is the second generation Maruti Suzuki Swift.

The new Swift is speculated to be powered by a re-engineered petrol engine that could produce around 90 bhp of maximum power. Currently, the Swift is powered by a 1.2 litre K-Series engine that makes 85 bhp of maximum power.

The new Swift will get revamped headlamps, redesigned tail lamps, and slightly improved rear leg room, electrically adjustable mirrors, a redesigned central console and up-market interiors.

The new Swift diesel version will most likely retain the same 1.3 litre DDiS (essentially Fiat’s Multijet) engine that makes 75 bhp of maximum power. The engines will be mated to 5-speed transmission.

The new Swift will likely be priced in the Rs. 4.25 lakh to 6.3 lakh range. It will take on Ford Figo, Maruti Ritz, Fiat Punto, Volkswagen Polo, Tata Indica Vista and Nissan Micra.

The new Swift is expected to be launched in August 2011, though the recent strike in the Maruti Suzuki could push the launch date further. To know more, click here.

Honda Brio – October 2011

Honda will most likely launch its smallest car from its product portfolio, the Brio, in October. The Brio is a stylish, small car with attributes favouring urban buyers.

The Brio will be powered by a 1.2 litre iVtec engine (same as in Honda Jazz) that makes 90 bhp of maximum power. Honda will most likely launch the India-bound Brio with a 5-speed manual transmission. The engine is known for its refinement, consistent performance and combining this with the Brio’s smaller dimensions, expect mileage the cars to be high.

As per Honda Thailand, the fuel economy of the Brio is 20 km/litre. Honda has already launched the Brio in Thailand in March 2011. The Brio diesel, with a 1.5 litre motor, however might take 3 years. Expect that to be rolled out only by 2014.

Honda will launch the Brio petrol in the Rs. 4.5 lakh to Rs. 6 lakh range. It will take on the petrol variants of Nissan Micra, Maruti Ritz, Ford Figo, Toyota Liva and its likes.

So expect the launch in October. We will keep you updated. Click here for more details about the Brio.

Hyundai HA – Nov-Dec 2011

Hyundai has been developing a small car (code named HA), powered by an 800 cc engine to take on the Maruti Suzuki Alto. Test mules have been caught more than once, indicating the company’s intentions to launch the car in the near future.

Hyundai HA will be powered by an 800 cc petrol engine that would make 45 bhp of maximum power. The mileage will be one of the USP of the car as it targets the mileage-conscious.

Based on the spy photos of the test mules we believe the HA will inherit Hyundai’s new age signature design cues as found in the current i10 model. The company, based on the demand, may also launch a 1.0 litre version of the HA to take on the Alto K10 in future.

Hyundai HA targets the Maruti Alto customers and hence would be priced in the Rs. 2.7 lakh to Rs. 3.3 lakh price range. Hyundai will likely roll out the HA during the end of 2011 or the company may choose the Delhi Auto Expo 2012 as the car’s launch pad to grab better buyer attention. To know more about the Hyundai HA, click here.

Chevrolet Spark 800 cc – 2011 end

This is another likely launch in the 800cc segment to try and end the stranglehold the Alto has over this market segment. The long awaited Chevrolet Spark powered by an 800 cc engine could finally hit the Indian small car space this year.

The new Spark could make a power of around 50 bhp and Chevrolet will likely tune the engine in order to make it as fuel efficient as possible. Also read: General Motors confirms launch of 800cc Chevrolet Spark in India

In order to keep the pricing as competitive as possible compared to the Alto, the Spark 800 may see little or no changes from the current Spark’s feature and equipment list.

Chevrolet Spark 800 cc variant will likely be priced in the Rs. 2.5 lakh – 3.3 lakh range. The Spark 800 cc could be launched during the end of the current year or early 2012.

It would be interesting to see the Spark 800 cc lock horns with Maruti Alto 800 cc and the upcoming Hyundai HA.