Maruti Vitara Brezza
This car stole the show on the first day of the biennial event. The Vitara Brezza is Maruti’s first compact SUV and the first vehicle to be completely developed by the company in India. It is set for launch very soon with dealerships rumoured to have unofficially opened up the bookings for the same. Maruti’s first compact SUV will be offered only with a 1.3-litre diesel engine and a total of 6 variants with dual airbags and ABS offered as an option even on the base variant. Top variants will get loads of segment first features like cruise control, Smart Play touchscreen infotainment system with Apple Car Play support and a contrasting paint job for the roof. The Maruti Vitara Brezza will compete with the Ford Ecosport and Mahindra TUV300, and will be priced between Rs. 7 lakhs and Rs. 10.50 lakhs.
Toyota Innova Crysta
Well, it has been 11 years since the first generation Toyota Innova was launched in India and finally we will be having a successor to it. Christened as the Innova Crysta for India, the car is based on a completely new platform, has a new pair of engines and a completely redesigned interior. It will be powered by a 2.4-litre 4-cylinder diesel that churns out 147 BHP and for the first time will be mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox. Toyota could also offer the MPV with a 2.7-litre petrol engine due to the engine restrictions under the current Delhi diesel car ban. The Toyota Innova Crysta will be a huge step up from the current car in every possible way but expect premium pricing as well. Range topping automatic variant is expected to cost around Rs. 20 lakh and is rumoured to launch in the first half of 2016.
Tata Nexon Concept
This was the car that completely blew minds with its design language. Tata’s design head Pratap Bose and his team have done a brilliant job so much so that this could be the first desirable Tata in a very long time. The interiors of the Nexon look futuristic with a tablet like central infotainment display. Steering wheel and instrumentation look familiar but again will make you go wow, on the insides. It will be powered by bigger iterations of Tata’s Revotron and Revotorq, petrol and diesel engines and is expected to launch next year.
Mahindra XUV Aero Concept
This stylish SUV coupe was clearly the show stopper on Day 2 of the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo. The Mahindra XUV Aero Concept has a silhouette similar to the BMW X6 and the Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe and that is exactly what sets it apart. Nobody other than the two aforementioned German brands has ever tried designing such a product and the price point at which this car could be launched makes it even more tempting. The front looks similar to the XUV500, while the rear looks like the Komodo Concept which was a design study by the company but never even made it to the clay model stage. The car on display had suicide doors which was a complete eye candy for visitors. The XUV Aero, if ever launched, will be positioned as a halo product in Mahindra’s portfolio, and we hope this happens someday.
Hyundai Carlino/HND-14 Concept
The Hyundai Carlino is a sub 4-metre compact SUV concept that will be launched around two years from now, in 2018. The car features a new design language from Hyundai with a bigger front grille, upright looking silhouette and a squared out rear end. Also, expecting a futuristic looking interior is no bad thing as there is still a considerable amount of time left for this car to make it to the roads. The car is expected to share engine options with the Elite i20 and will come with similar gearbox options as well.
