Flashback: Cars Launched in July

A wise man once said, after taking two steps forward, wait and look back for a moment. The saying clearly fits the situation as the month of July is about to end, and we at CarDekho bring you all the important happenings in the Indian auto sector in the month of July. Majority of launches were under the badge of special or limited editions, while manufacturers also introduced facelifts such as Nissan Sunny and Volkswagen Polo. In July, we also witnessed the launch of expensive wheels such as BMW 7 series ActiveHybrid, Porsche Macan, BMW X5 Expedition trim and Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG. Dig deep to find more.

Limited and Special Editions:

Chevrolet Manchester United Limited Editions of Beat and Sail U-VA at INR 4.91 lakh & 5.73 lakh 

With football fever high on the customers, Chevrolet introduced Manchester United Limited Editions for Beat and Sail Hatchback. Chevrolet Beat Manchester United Limited Editions were priced at Rs 4,91,569 for petrol model and Rs 5,74,015 for the diesel variant. While the Sail U-VA Manchester United Limited Editions was tagged at Rs 5,73,565 for petrol and Rs 6,52,821 for diesel. (All prices are Ex-Showroom, Delhi).

Toyota Etios Xclusive edition at INR 5.98 lakh 

Toyota also introduced a new limited edition variant of its Etios sedan. Christened as Etios Xclusive, the production of this edition is limited to just 900 units. The Xclusive Edition is priced at Rs 5,98,140 for petrol model and Rs  7,10,240 for diesel one (Ex Showroom, Delhi). Based on the G grade of the current lineup, the new edition is available in two exciting colours- Classic Grey and Symphony Silver.

Renault Duster 2nd anniversary edition at INR 8.8 lakh

After ruling for two years in compact SUV segment, Renault celebrated the success of Duster by launching the second anniversary edition of Duster. Priced at Rs 8.8 lakh, the second anniversary edition comes with an additional two years warranty along with free four years roadside assistance. The vehicle comes with a new Amazon Green color which was introduced in the Duster Adventure edition.

Maruti Suzuki Ritz Elate 

Maruti Suzuki joined the race by introducing a special edition 'Elate' model of its Ritz hatchback. The ‘tall boy’ of the company now features 2-DIN music system with speakers, bluetooth stereo and telephony kit, reverse parking sensors, stylish body graphics and ambient lighting. The Elate edition is mostly a sticker-job in terms of outside tweaks with some additional features inside the cabin. Mechanically, the car remains same. 

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Limited Edition at INR 6.76 lakh

It seems like India’s largest passenger car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki was worried with the then coming Honda Mobilio. With the clean strategy of refreshing its MPV Ertiga, the carmaker launched the limited edition. The upgraded model embraces new paint shade of Pearl Blaze blue, sleek chrome grille, stylish 10-spoke alloy wheel, trendy limited edition body decals and graphics, rear spoiler. Inside the cabin, the wooden trim on instrument panel, dual Tone dashboard integrated with audio system, reverse parking sensor with digital display among many more features on board. 

Also Read : Upcoming Car Launches in August

Facelits and Upgrades: 

Nissan Sunny and Volkswagen Polo

Though most of the car makers focused mainly on launching special and limited editions of ongoing models, automakers like Nissan and Polo launched the facelift version. Nissan was the first to launch the Sunny facelift at Rs 6.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The automaker made several upgrades to the existing Sunny, but those were mostly cosmetic. Mechanically, the car remained same and will keep on carrying the 1.5-litre petrol with manual and CVT gearbox and 1.5-litre diesel with a manual transmission. 

While the Volkswagen, after a long wait of five years introduced the Polo facelift. Priced between Rs 4.99 lakh to Rs 7.99 lakh, the upgraded Polo carries the all new engine specification. The 1.6-litre TDI engine was replaced by the fuel economic 1.5-litre TDI engine, while the engine assembly for petrol model remained the same. 

New Debutants 

Honda Mobilio, BMW 7 Series ActiveHybrid, Mercedes Benz CLA 45 AMG

Well the launch that gathered attention of a common man was Honda Mobilio MPV. With the joint family trend in country, Mobilio is undoubtedly a perfect family vehicle. Launched at Rs 6.49 lakh for the base petrol, the Mobilio is pitched above the segment leader Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. For the diesel, Honda has placed Mobilo at Rs 7.89 lakh (All Ex-Showroom, New Delhi). The MPV features ABS, dual airbags, sliding second row, reclining third row and roof mounted A/C vents. The initial response of the Mobilio is fantastic as it has already crossed an advance booking of 9000 units. 

Pitched on the same day as of Mobilio launch, the Bavarian manufacturer BMW launched the 7 series Activehybrid at Rs 1.35 Crore. Mercedes-Benz also launched the performance model CLA 45 AMG at Rs 68.50 Lakh.

Apart from the aforementioned launches, we also saw the refreshed version of Nissan Evalia,  BMW X5 Expedition trim, locally manufactured Jaguar XJ and the LPG variant of Hyundai Grand i10.