Car News That Made Headlines Over The Past Week: Nitin Gadkari Announces New FASTag Pass, Upcoming Mahindra Thar Facelift Spied And Multiple Special Editions Launched

Besides multiple new editions, spy shots and new launches, what stood out was the announcement of the new FASTag pass by the government of India

The past week was a busy one for the Indian automotive industry. In the car market, there were multiple new launches, including special editions of the Mercedes-Benz EQS 580, Honda City, and Citroen C3. Additionally, there were updates from Indian auto giants – Maruti, Mahindra, and Tata. 

Most importantly, the Minister of Road Transport and Indian Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari, has announced a new FASTag pass that has caught the attention of the Indian masses. Here’s a rundown of everything that happened:

New FASTag Pass To Be Launched On August 15

Nitin Gadkari, the Minister of Road Transport and Highways in India, has announced a new FASTag annual pass for private vehicles, which will come into effect from August 15. The pass will be priced at Rs 3,000 and will be valid for 200 trips for one year. You can purchase it through the Rajmargyatra app or the NHAI and MoRTH websites. 

Honda City Sport Edition Launched 

Honda launched the City Sport, where it commands a Rs 49,000 premium over the V CVT variant. It gets an expanse of blacked-out design elements, along with an all-black cabin featuring red highlights. It carries the same 1.5-litre petrol engine with a CVT gearbox.

Tata Curvv EV And Tata Nexon EV To Receive Lifetime Battery Warranty

Tata Motors introduced a lifetime warranty with the 2025 Harrier EV, which will soon be extended to the Curvv EV and Nexon EV’s 45 kWh variant. The warranty covers both new and older privately owned vehicles, as long as buyers meet all the terms and conditions. We’ve detailed them in this report. 

MG ZS EV Gets Massive Price Cut

MG Motor India has announced a major price cut for the ZS EV, with reductions of up to Rs 6.14 lakh depending on the variant and purchase plan. The SUV is now available with both standard pricing and a battery subscription option, making the EV significantly more accessible.

Mahindra Scorpio N Z4 Automatic Reintroduced

Mahindra has reintroduced the Scorpio N Z4 automatic variant, which was earlier discontinued. It is now priced from Rs 17.39 lakh (ex-showroom), making the automatic option up to Rs 1.67 lakh more accessible than before, as it was previously available only in higher variants.

Citroen C3 Sport Edition Launched In India

Citroen launched a new Sport Edition of the C3 hatchback in India, which carries a premium of Rs 21,000 over the regular variants. This limited edition packs in several cosmetic upgrades, including a new colour and body decals, along with a few added features. The engine options remain unchanged, and there’s also an optional tech pack available at an extra cost.

Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 Celebration Edition Launched

Mercedes-Benz has launched the EQS 580 Celebration Edition in India at Rs 1.30 crore (ex-showroom). This is available only for a limited number of units and brings some feature upgrades for a better rear seat experience. The carmaker also announced a milestone of 73 percent growth in year-on-year EV sales compared to May 2024. 

Maruti Grand Vitara CNG Reintroduced

Maruti has brought back the CNG version of the MY2025 Grand Vitara. The CNG kit is offered in the Delta and Zeta trims. It gets a few extra features while continuing with the same 1.5-litre petrol engine with CNG, paired with a 5-speed manual transmission.

Upcoming Mahindra Thar Facelift Spied 

The 3-door Mahindra Thar facelift was spotted testing this week, giving a look at some of the design elements and features. A few of these updates are inspired by the bigger 5-door Thar Roxx.

2026 Audi Q3 Globally Revealed

The 2026 Audi Q3 has been revealed globally with a refreshed design inspired by the Q5, featuring a cleaner, sportier look inside and out. It also gets a plug-in hybrid engine option for the first time, along with adaptive dampers for improved ride quality.

Upcoming VinFast VF7 Spied

The upcoming VinFast VF7 was spotted testing in India. The test mule under heavy camouflage revealed a lot of its design elements. The VF7 EV is expected to be offered in two variants with two powertrain options, and prices are expected to be around Rs 50 lakh.

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