New Hyundai Santa Fe launched in India...

Hyundai had has been selling the Santa Fe SUV in India for over five to six years without much success. In a bid to spruce up its flagship SUV, the Korean automaker is expected to introduce a new version at the upcoming 2014 Auto Expo. This version was first previewed at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. The new version of the SUV embodies the Fluidic-derived Storm edge design philosophy and has already been spotted testing near Hyundai’s facility outside Chennai.

The Hyundai Santa Fe Storm Edge design embodies a completely new design philosophy. The fascia comprises a huge grille and the head lights which now flow into the side of the SUV. Hyundai has now integrated the teardrop-shaped fog lamps into the front bumpers. The sides too have changed, due to the fluidic design and now feature a much smaller glass between the C and the D pillar.

In terms of dimensions, the 2013 seven-seater Santa Fe has a nine centimetre longer wheelbase than the outgoing model but we expect that the India spec car will retain the same dimensions due to it being only a five-seater. The rear end retains the same overall positioning but is dominated by a large bash plate in which there is a single-sided quad shaped exhaust. The tail lamps flow from the sides into the rear tail gate and there is now an abundance of shiny bits all over in a bid to increase the bling factor.

The interiors have also embraced the fluidic design and due to the increased proportions, the rear legroom has gone up. Most of the feature list and the design have been borrowed from the Elantra and the Sonata. The revised list includes a GPS, leather seats, sunroof as well as a start-stop system for the engine. The rear seat can comfortably seat five people and most of the cabin in the India spec car is expected to be outfitted in beige.

The India spec Santa Fe will continue to be powered by the same 2.2-litre diesel engine which produces 194bhp and 436Nm of torque. The AT/MT options as well as the two-wheel and four-wheel-drive options are all expected to remain the same.

The Hyundai Santa Fe is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 24 lakh to 27 lakh and may become a locally assembled model for the Indian market with this generation of the vehicle. It competes with the Ssangyong RX7, Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Captiva, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and the Nissan X-Trail. It will be launched at the 2014 Auto Expo.

Price- 24-27 Lakhs

Maruti Suzuki Celerio launched

We first spotted the all-new A-Star testing across Europe on Indian-made JK Vectras and in an RHD configuration. Yes, we are talking about the next generation A-Star which has now been revealed in concept form as the A:Wind hatchback. The car has already been spotted testing near Maruti Suzuki’s factory in Gurgaon although it is still camouflaged. When launched for the Indian market, it is expected to replace the A-Star as well as the Estilo tallboy hatchback but might just retain the moniker of the former.

The A:Wind Concept car is 3.6 metres in length (2.4 metres wheelbase), 1.6 metres wide and 1.5 metres high. It has the same new grille as the test car but now it is noticeable as it extends into the glass for the headlights, which seem to be projectors. However, in the production version, we expect that Suzuki will offer standard lights in a bid to keep costs down. The body now comes with an increased number of aerodynamic lines but retains the same overall shape that has defined the Alto range since its debut in 1979. The bumpers look sportier and the front air intake has also been increased in size, most probably to aid in the cooling of the new 800cc diesel engine due for the Indian market next year.

At the boot end, the tail lamp design and the overall shape including the styling of the rear hatch all take after the familiar Suzuki design. The tail lamps have been taken from the current Suzuki Alto/A-Star but the rear indicators now get a more contemporary V-shape. There are also extra air vents below the rear bumper which is most likely for the diesel engine.

The interiors get a two-tone design with beige being of one of the shades. It has all the characteristic Suzuki traits and parts that can be found on the other models of the Japanese automaker. However, thanks to the altered design of the components of the cabin and what appears to be a flat floor, the new car looks much more spacious than the outgoing model. The cabin may get a touch screen music system but this will mostly be limited to the European markets and that too only to the top-end variants. The test car that we had spotted earlier has a slot for a single Din music system and has been fitted with a dash mounted automatic transmission thereby creating space for two bottle holders where the gearshift now sits in the current car.

The India spec car is expected to also continue with a manual gearbox that will be mounted the same way in the cabin to keep the overall design. Given that the A-Star has been around for a while, its competition seems to have moved and so we expect that there will be a slew of new features once the car is unveiled.

This new A-Star is expected to sport a new 800cc diesel engine that by the standard of its competitors will produce around 70-75bhp and around 150-170Nm of torque. Transmission options are expected to include a five-speed manual as well as the four-speed AT that sits in the current A-Star automatic. The petrol is expected to remain the same as before; a 1.0-litre mill that produces 67bhp and 90Nm of torque. We expect that the diesel engine option will only be available in the LDi and ZDi variants. It is also likely that MSIL may introduce a CNG compatible version for the new A-Star.

This is Maruti Suzuki’s flagship small fighter and will fit in just above the Alto 800. In its class, it competes with Hyundai Santro Xing, Chevrolet Beat, Nissan Micra Active and the Tata Indica V2. We expect it to be priced Rs 10, 000 to Rs 20,000 more than the current car. It is likely to be unveiled at the upcoming 2014 Auto Expo and will be launched officially a few months later. This very same model will also go on sale in Europe as the 2015 Suzuki Alto around the same time as the India launch and will replace the current car.

Price- 3.90-4.95 Lakhs