Every year, we see car manufacturers trying their luck in India by coming up with concoctions that would make you fall in love with their cars. This year, it all began with the Delhi Auto Expo and from what we saw, we knew that it was going to be an exciting year. We compile a list of the best car launched by each manufacturer this year to applaud the effort they've put in.
Audi A3 sedan
Audi has always been the first at to launch something new when compared to their competitors and this time was no different. The A3 sedan was in the offing but when Mercedes made it clear that the CLA would come to India, Audi jumped the gun and launched the cheapest car from their stable. The car might look like a compressed version of the A4 but it is a new car and none of its competitors have a car in that segment. Here's our review
BMW M3&M4
The performance versions - M3 and M4 - were launched in India recently. The M3 and M4 Coupe are priced at Rs. 1.19 crore (ex-showroom) and Rs. 1.21 crore (ex-showroom), respectively but the move by BMW to bring the performance versions first speaks volumes about its strategy for next year. While there won't be many takers for this, the 4-series once launched will create quite an uproar, not to forget will give its rivals some sleepless nights. The review tells more
Datsun GO
Granted that it hasn't been a great year for Datsun India, for they have been surrounded by speculation of whether their cars are safer or not. While the Global NCAP has deemed them unsafe, Datsun has made merry with the GO. The attempt of the people at Datsun to take car makers like Maruti Suzuki head was bold and with the Go the company showed that cars below the 4 lakh mark can be spacious and have features. We drove it and here's our Review.
Fiat Avventura
At the Delhi Auto Expo, the people at Fiat India announced plans of bringing 4 new products to India this year. While two of them were facelifts, the Avventura was the first new product after more than 3 years. The compact crossover, might look like a Punto on stilts but it isn't. Read our review to find out more.
Ford Fiesta
After we saw the Aston Martin-ish front grille as a signature of their design language we knew that it will trickle down to India. The Fiesta was the first to receive this and the facelift made it look even better. The Fiesta, though similar when it comes to mechanical details, is quite the car when it comes to overall looks and a winner for Ford this year. Read Our review
This was the year of the Honda and the City made a major comeback, this time with a diesel engine and immediately, the fans were drawn to the car which had once smitten them. The design, the mileage and the price were all very seductive and it brought in the moolah for Honda.
Hyundai i20
The facelift was on the cards but no one knew how comprehensive it would be. The Hyundai 'Elite' i20 swept everyone off their feet when it comes to looks and in fact even won the Indian car of the year award and it deserves every bit of the praise. Read our review to know more.
Jaguar F-Type
The successor to the E-Type was also designer Ian McCullum's baby and the pressure was clearly on him to create a car that was worthy of living upto the legacy. The F-Type did just that. It was crazy, looked great and there was no doubt in anybodys mind that this was the future for Jaguar. Here's our review of this crazy car.
Lamborghini Huracan
It was time to bid goodbye to the Gallardo and it had served Lamborghini well. While the heart would live on, the body would change, and many thought the soul would too. The Huracan, however, brought in a breath of fresh air and was a fitting heir to the Gallardo legacy.
Mahindra Scorpio
Having sold more than 2 lakh cars in over a decade in India, the Scorpio was 'the' SUV to own and Mahindra didn't leave any stone unturned when they decided to come out with a facelift. With a new look and somewhat new mechanicals, the new Scorpio now looks menacing and now offers a better ride quality. More in the review.
Maruti Suzuki Celerio AMT
Maruti Suzuki always has an ace up its sleeve at the beginning of every year. Last year it was the Ertiga and this year it was the Celerio. It was the first small car to come with an Automated Manual Transmission which fit the budget of consumers looking to buy a car with automatic transmission below the Rs. 5 lakh mark. The review tells more.
Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG
Mercedes-Benz had a barrage of launches this year but the one we loved the most was the CLA45 AMG and that is because this one was no less than a rocket. A prelude to the CLA sedan , the performance version will knock your socks off (no Christmas pun intended here) but our review tells all.
MINI Cooper
The new generation of the Mini Cooper isn't 'mini' anymore. It had grown and now there is a 3-door and a 5-door version. Both were launched recently in India and the Cooper S will soon make its way here. We drove both of them and our comprehensive review gives more details.
Nissan Sunny
The Sunny was always a spacious car and there was no doubt about it. The 'caaaar' was a delight for those wanted to be chauffer driven. It finally received a facelift and was much better looking now. There were no mechanical changes to the car but the car looked better than its froggy-eyed predecessor and that's what made it better. A review of the car revealed more.
Skoda Rapid DSG
The Skoda Rapid, which is based on the Volkswagen Vento, brought in much cheer for Skoda, considering that the Fabia had been discontinued. The introduction of the DSG box improved things further as the car was now, easy to drive and better on fuel economy too. We've always loved the DSG and the Rapid with that transmission is pure delight. Here's what we thought.
Tata Zest
With HorizonNext, Tata Motors embarked on a journey to make things better and better they did. The Zest was a big step up from the other cars from Tata Motors and it also saw the introduction of the 1.2T Revotron engine and the AMT transmission for the diesel model. It had its ups and downs and we've listed them in our review.
Volkswagen Polo GT TDI
Petrol heads might curse me for choosing the diesel over the petrol but if you've driven this machine, you wouldn't want to sit in a less powerful diesel car. It's got enough torque, enough power and it handles like a dream. What more do you want? The review gives a deeper understanding of the car.
