Cars To Watch Out For In September 2020

Here’s what you can look forward to if you’re planning to buy a new car this month

The upcoming festive season is bound to be a busy time in the automotive industry, with many new launches. While some are cosmetic packages, some will be new models altogether. Here’s a list of all the upcoming launches and unveils slated for this month:

Kia Sonet

Expected Prices: Rs 6.6 lakh to Rs 12.9 lakh

Rivals: Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, Mahindra XUV300, and the upcoming Nissan Magnite, Toyota Urban Cruiser and Renault Kiger

The Sonet was revealed in its entirety in August. Kia has since opened pre-bookings for its contestant in the sub-4m SUV segment. It will be offered with the same three engines as the Hyundai Venue but different choices for the transmissions. The Sonet will also get a host of segment-first features like ventilated front seats, 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a 6-speed torque convertor automatic for the 1.5-litre diesel engine. While Kia is still to announce the prices for the Sonet at launch, you can find out its variant-wise details here.

Toyota Urban Cruiser

Expected Prices: Rs 7.99 lakh to Rs 11.65 lakh

Rivals: Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, Mahindra XUV300, and the upcoming Kia Sonet, Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger

Toyota’s entry to the sub-4m segment takes a different route from Kia. It is a rebadged version of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza with the same feature list. The Urban Cruiser does get a distinctive front fascia but the same 1.5-litre petrol engine as the Brezza. It will be available with both manual and automatic transmission options. Toyota will also offer the Urban Cruiser with a better after-sales package than the Maruti Brezza. Pre-bookings are open for this one too.

Skoda Rapid Automatic

Expected Prices: Rs 9.5 lakh to Rs 13 lakh

Rivals: Volkswagen Vento, Hyundai Verna, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Honda City and Toyota Yaris

The BS6 Skoda Rapid was launched in mid-2020 with its new 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. It will now get the automatic option as well by way of a 6-speed torque converter instead of the quick shifting DSG (dual-clutch) system available with diesel earlier. The Rapid will get the automatic option in all variants except the entry-spec Rider. It comes equipped with features like cruise control, auto AC and a touchscreen infotainment system. Find out the pre-booking amount and colour options for the Rider automatic here.

Mercedes-Benz EQC

Expected Prices: Over Rs 1  Crore

Rivals: upcoming Audi e-Tron Electric SUV

The EV scene in India is about to get a bit more luxurious with the likely launch of the Mercedes-Benz EQC in September. It is the brand’s first ground-up all-electric SUV offering and was first expected to arrive in April 2020 but was likely delayed by the pandemic and the lockdown. The EQC claims to offer over 400km on a full charge which is pretty good for a mid-size luxury SUV. Its twin electric motor setup has a combined output of 408PS and 760Nm. There is another luxury electric SUV waiting to be launched but it seems the EQC will be the first of its segment in India.

Tata Nexon Special Edition

Expected Prices: Rs 9 lakh to Rs 10 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

Rivals: Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Ford EcoSport, Mahindra XUV300, and the upcoming Nissan Magnite, Kia Sonet, Toyota Urban Cruiser and Renault Kiger

Tata is particularly good at making limited edition variants of its models with cosmetic tweaks. A new Nexon has been teased in a new orange exterior colour. The special edition Nexon is expected to be based on the mid-spec XZ variant. It is unlikely to get any major feature updates over the XZ which means it’ll continue to get the same comforts and conveniences like auto AC, touchscreen infotainment system, climate control and cruise control.

We expect most of the above-mentioned models to launch around mid-September with more special edition variants on the way from other carmakers. Stay tuned to CarDekho for more updates.