10 prominent cars launched in 2018 in India

1)Maruti Suzuki Swift 2018

India''s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) launched the all-new version of its popular hatchback Swift at the Auto Expo 2018. One of the most important launches of 2018, the Maruti Suzuki Swift went on to win the Indian Car of the Year Award.

Based on Suzuki's 5th generation HEARTECT platform, the model is available in both petrol and diesel engine options. While the petrol variant has a 1.2-litre engine, the diesel option is powered by a 1.3-litre engine, both of which are available with an option of a 5-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission.

While the petrol engine produces 84bhp of power and 114Nm of torque, the diesel variant has a power output of 75bhp and 190Nm of torque.

2)Hyundai Santro

Korean auto major Hyundai relaunched the next-gen Santro, the iconic car which was Hyundai's most popular product name in India.

The original Hyundai Santro was launched on September 23, 1998. Two years later, Hyundai set up its base in India with an investment of $614 million, which was the biggest investment to have been made by any multinational company in the Indian automotive sector till then.

Powering the new Hyundai Santro is a 1.1-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine, which produces 69PS of max power and 99Nm of peak torque, mated with a 5-speed manual or automatic transmission.

 

3) Ford Freestyle

Ford unveiled their new compact utility vehicle, the Ford Freestyle, earlier this year. It is a crossover based on the all-new Ford Figo.

The Ford Freestyle comes with a 1.2-litre petrol engine and a 1.5-litre diesel engine mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. While the petrol motor generates 95 bhp of peak power and 120 Nm of peak torque, the diesel motor kicks out 99 bhp of peak power and 215 Nm of peak torque.

Besides SUV styling, the new model also comes with a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system which is compatible with AppleCar Play and Android Auto. 

 

4)Honda Amaze

 

Honda launched the all-new Amaze in India in the highly competitive compact sedan segment. Unveiled at the 2018 Delhi Auto Expo, the compact sedan boasts a completely new design inspired by the bigger sedans from the Japanese brand.

The Amaze is available in both petrol and diesel engine options that include s 1.2-litre iVTEC petrol engine and another 1.5-litre iDTEC diesel motor. Transmission duties are taken care of by either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a CVT transmission with paddle shifter.

While the petrol engine churns out 89 bhp of peak power and 110 Nm of peak torque, the diesel motor is capable of generating 99 bhp of peak power and 200 Nm of peak torque. 

 

5)Mahindra Marazzo

Mahindra launched its much-awaited multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in 2018 with a single diesel engine supported by a manual unit.

Derived from a Spanish word of Basque origin which translates into ‘shark’ in English, the Marazzo is the first passenger car developed at Mahindra’s North American Technical Centre and has been co-designed by Pininfarina and Mahindra’s design studio in Kandivali, Mumbai.

Mahindra Marazzo is powered by an all-new 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder engine that produces a maximum power of 121 bhp and 300 Nm of torque and is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox that transmits power to the front wheels.

 

6)Maruti Suzuki Ertiga

 

After making frequent cameos on the internet and different websites for a long time, Maruti Suzuki India finally rolled out the next-gen Ertiga in India. The MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) is offered in ten different options based on fuel type and transmission.

The second-generation Ertiga is bigger than the previous version, offers 10 per cent better fuel efficiency, and is lighter than the outgoing one thanks to Maruti Suzuki's new 5th generation HEARTECT platform, which also underpins a lot of other Maruti cars like Swift, Dzire, Ignis and Baleno.

The petrol variants, including two manual and two auto transmission trims, are powered by the new K15 1.5 litre engine that produces 105 bhp and 138Nm of torque. However, the diesel variants continue to have the same 1.3-litre engine as the earlier version that produces 90bhp and 200Nm of torque. Both engines come with Maruti’s SHVS hybrid technology and are mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, with a 4-speed torque converter automatic offered only with to the petrol variant. 

 

7)Mercedes Benz C Class

 

German luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz launched the refreshed model of C-Class Cabriolet with a host of added features. Equipped with the BSVI petrol engine, the new sporty two-door Cabriolet has features such as multi-beam headlamps, new alloy wheel design, new generation steering wheel and smartphone integration package, among others.

The car comes with a 2.0-litre, in-line, 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes maximum power of 258 bhp and peak torque of 370 Nm and is mated to a 9G-TRONIC gearbox. 

 

8)Toyota Yaris

 

Unveiled at the Auto Expo 2018, the Toyota Yaris sedan marked the company's entry into the mid-sized premium car segment of the Indian automobile market. 

The car comes feature-packed with some first-in-segment trims and is available with a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder dual VVTi petrol engine that makes 106 bhp of power and 140 Nm of peak torque. While a diesel variant is given a miss, the petrol engine is mated to a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed CVT transmission.

 

9)Volvo XC 40

 

Scandavaian automobile giant Volvo Cars launched the XC40 in India earlier this year. The entry-level SUV from Volvo is a compact sedan that comes in three variants and is a competitive package in the segment.

The XC40 line-up derives power from a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder D4 diesel engine that produces a maximum power of 187bhp and 400Nm of peak torque. Transmission duties are carried out by an 8-speed automatic gearbox.

 

10)Audi Q5

 

Audi unveiled the second-generation of Q5 in two variants, which is built on Volkswagen’s MLB Evo platform. The Audi Q5 2018 weighs 90kg lighter than the outgoing version. 

The Audi Q5 comes with a 2.0-litre TDI turbo-diesel engine good for maximum power of 187bhp against 400Nm of top torque. Transmitting power to the wheels is the 7-speed S Tronic gearbox. It also gets Audi’s Quattro system that channelizes power to all four wheels. Interestingly, the new Audi Q5 2018 offers 20% more power than the outgoing one.