Top 5 premium hatchbacks nearing their launch

The 2014 Auto Expo enticed us with an array of car launches in almost every segment whether its the mid-size sedan segment or the luxury one, all have seen new launches or facelifts entering till now. Furthermore, India's one of the favorite segment – premium hatchbacks will now see a spree of launches as the festive season is approaching. Lets give you a glimpse of top five B+ segment hatches – VW Polo, Maruti Swift, Hyundai i20, Tata Bolt, and Fiat Punto EVO.

2014 VW Polo

The Polo facelift is coming tomorrow! The facelifted hatch from the German stable receives subtle alteration externally, while the major change relies under the hood. The Polo facelift is getting a new powerful diesel heart, the 1.2 liter TDI and 1.6 liter TDI are ditched for a new powerful 1.5 liter TDI. The motor churns out 89bhp (90PS) @ 4200rpm and 230Nm @ 1500-2500rpm in the Polo diesel. While the GT TDI model will get the uprated form of this engine producing 103.6bhp (105PS) and 250Nm @ 1500-2500rpm. All the petrol engines are retained in this facelift. On the feature lift, Polo gets dual-barrel headlamps, fog lamps with cornering lamp, new alloys & colors, refreshed dashboard and a new flat bottom steering wheel.

2014 Fiat Punto EVO

Fiat has revised the Punto thoroughly and its not just a makeover, the Italian hatch will also get a new name 'Punto EVO'! The car receives an entire new face borrowed from the Avventura crossover concept, featuring new grille, swept back headlamps and a new bumper with heavy chrome add-ons, while the rear gets LED tail lamps and refreshed bumper with twin rear fogs.

Apart from this, the vehicle will receive new set of alloys, upgraded dashboard with ambient lighting, rear air-con vent, new color shades, etc. Mechanically, the hatch is likely to remain same but expect some tweaks for refined driveability. The 2014 Punto EVO is expected to go on sale in couple of weeks.

Image Source: Teamfiat.co.in 

2014 Tata Bolt

Though the Bolt is based and derived from the Vista hatch but the former is way more premium and sportier compared to the latter. Having said that, Bolt embraces several segment first features, like, 5-inch Harman infotainment system, projector headlamps, MPFI turbo petrol engine, multiple engine modes – City, Eco & Sports and several others.

Speaking of the engine, the vehicle will get a new 1.2 liter Revotron turbo petrol motor churning 89bhp (90PS) and 140Nm of max torque. While the diesel version continues to carry the Fiat's 1.3 Multi-Jet dubbed as Quadrajet. Check the Tata Bolt preview here.

Next-gen Hyundai i20

Hyundai will introduce the next-generation i20 into the Indian market; it is the second generation of the i20. The Hyundai i20 was certainly India's first premium hatch when it entered in 2008 and offered several features that were never heard before in this segment in the country.

The new i20 sports a completely new design and will also feature Hyundai's 'Fluidic sculpture 2.0' design philosophy. The car will debut at the upcoming 2014 Paris Motor Show in October and is likely to get mechanical changes too.

2014 Maruti Suzuki Swift facelift

Maruti Suzuki (MSI) will also update India's highest selling premium hatch Swift, no matter what the competition brings Swift has stayed strong for all these years since its inception in the country in 2005. Mechanically, Swift will be same while MSI could introduce an automatic transmission which is missing in the Swift ever since.

Speaking of the changes, the updated Swift is already on sale in European market, the hatch gets new day-time-running-LEDs, push button engine start-stop, touch screen infotainment system, new set of alloys, 16-inch radial (expected in Indian version), etc.