8 Cars You Should Watch Out For In November 2021

November will see a couple of new EVs launched in India and the return of some premium SUVs

The year might be drawing to a close but there is still a steady influx of new and updated cars. In November, we will see the arrival and unveiling of new luxury-segment EVs, a performance hatchback, a budget hatchback, a sedan and even a few SUVs. Here are the cars you should be watching out for this month:

Maruti Celerio

Expected Launch: 10 November

Expected Price: Rs 4.65 lakh to Rs 6 lakh (ex-showroom)

Rivals: Hyundai Santro, Tata Tiago, Datsun GO, Maruti WagonR

The Celerio is all set to undergo its first generational update. It will likely borrow the powertrain options from the Wagon R, including the CNG variant. In terms of features as well, it will more or less be similar to the Wagon R, getting a touchscreen infotainment system, steering-mounted audio controls and maybe a rear parking camera as well. The new-gen Celerio has been spied multiple times and series-production cars have started reaching dealerships as well. Select Maruti dealerships are taking unofficial bookings for the hatchback ahead of the launch, with a token amount in the range of Rs 5,000 and Rs 11,000.

Skoda Slavia

Reveal Date: 18 November

Rivals: Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Maruti Ciaz

The Slavia, the successor to the Rapid, is expected to be launched in early-2022. However, it shall be revealed in November, which will give us a better idea of how the car actually looks. It has the same underpinnings as the Kushaq, and also offers the same powertrain options which includes the 115PS 1-litre and 150PS 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engines. We have already driven the car and you can check out our views of the pre-production prototype driven by us, over here.

Volkswagen Tiguan

Expected Price: Rs 28 lakh

Rivals: Jeep Compass, Hyundai Tucson, Citroen C5 Aircross

The Tiguan will soon be back in its 5-seater avatar, and as a petrol-only offering, but the exact launch date is yet to be announced. It will use the same 2-litre turbo-petrol engine found in the Skoda Superb and Octavia, making 190PS/320Nm. A 7-speed DSG (dual clutch automatic) will be the only transmission on offer, but unlike the two sedans, it will drive all fours via Volkswagen’s 4Motion AWD system. This same setup is available on the Tiguan Allspace (7-seater) as well. The facelifted Tiguan is expected to pack in new features like a bigger touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, three-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof and more. 

Audi Q5

Expected Price: Rs 55 lakh onwards (ex-showroom)

Rivals: Mercedes-Benz GLC, BMW X3, Lexus NX, Volvo XC60

The Q5 is ending its hiatus from the Indian market. The SUV which was once one of Audi’s top sellers in the market was taken off the market once the BS6 emission norms came into play. Now it is back in a petrol-only avatar, using the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine (245PS) from the Audi A6, and sporting sharper looks. It will continue to get features like suspension damping control, drive modes, and the Quattro all-wheel-drive system. The new Q5 will be available in two variants and bookings are already open for a sum of Rs 2 lakh.

Mini Cooper SE (Electric)

Expected Price: Rs 50 lakh

Rivals: No Direct Rival

Mini Cooper recently opened bookings for the first electric Mini in India, only for it to sell out within a few hours. They did only bring 30 units as they will be CBU imports and premium EVs are quite a niche market at the moment. The British manufacturer will reveal the electric Mini’s prices sometime during November, and if there is more demand it just might bring in a second batch of cars in 2022. In terms of performance, the Mini Cooper SE has modest numbers. It has an electric motor that makes 184PS/270Nm, and can foster a range of around 233km using a 36.2kWh battery pack.

Mercedes-Benz AMG A45 S

Launch Date: 17 November

Expected Price: Rs 75 lakh (ex-showroom)

Rivals: No Direct Rivals

The AMG 45 S will take two crowns once it is launched here: Not only will it become India’s most powerful hatchback, with 421PS on tap from a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, it will also become the most expensive hatchback sold in India. You get the 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system putting the power to the ground, resulting in a quick 3.9 seconds for the 0-100kmph time. Unlike its Limousine (sedan) sibling, the A Class AMG hatchback will be a CBU import, which is also the reason for its high expected price.

Porsche Macan

Launch Date: 12 November

Expected Price: Rs 80 lakh

Rivals: Jaguar F-Pace, Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe

Porsche has given the Macan a fresh lease of life by restructuring its variant list and shifting around the powertrain options. The top-spec GTS variant makes a whopping 440PS from a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 engine. It also makes 380PS in a lower tune and there’s a 2-litre turbo-petrol as well that makes 265PS. All engines are offered with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission and an AWD drivetrain as standard. The Macan also gets Sport Adaptive Air Suspension on the GTS trim, and the Porsche Active Suspension Management unit has been updated as well. There are subtle design updates as well which give the Macan a slightly fresher look.

Porsche Taycan

Launch Date: 12 November

Expected Price: Rs 2.5 crore (ex-showroom)

Rivals: Audi e-tron GT

The Taycan is Porsche’s first EV and just like their other cars, this one is pretty fast too. The Taycan is available with different power outputs and battery packs. It is quite slippery with a drag coefficient of 0.22, and the fastest Taycan can go from 0-100kmph in just 2.8 seconds. Porsche is expected to bring only a couple of variants of the Taycan to India, or even just the top one. It’s only real rival will be the Audi e-tron GT, which sports the same underpinnings as the Taycan.