There's a lot happening when it comes to the automotive industry in India and this is good news for all of us. This means that there are new brands coming to India, as also new cars. While most of the car makers are updating their ageing products globally, India will benefit a lot from these. We've already told you about the upcoming cars in 2018 as also the upcoming SUVs. It's now time to examine a segment, which, we have to admit, has been put on the back burner by most car makers, but it looks like this year, car manufacturers will be looking at the sedan segment more closely in India. So here it is, the most awaited and upcoming sedans of 2018
The new-gen Amaze will be showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo
The development on the second generation Honda Amaze is almost complete. It will be the next all-new model from Honda Cars India, and is expected to have its first public showing at the 2018 Auto Expo in Delhi. That will also mark the global debut of this model, unlike the first gen that had made its first appearance in Thailand. Like the current model, the new Honda Amaze is also being developed at Honda's R&D base in Thailand, but has also seen more inputs from the Honda India engineering team. Honda's Tapukara plant in Rajasthan will be the global supply base for the engines for the new Amaze. The new car is expected to carry a number of significant upgrades, including a more powerful iteration of the 1.5 diesel. It will be available in petrol as well, and Honda is closely studying the market performance of the Dzire's AMT to help decide its own automatic strategy for the next Amaze.
The new-gen Audi A8 is the most technologically advanced car from the company
Audi is taking things to another level with the new A8 sedan. The new generation of the flagship model, comes with an all new design and a host of upgrades in terms of equipment. The new Audi A8, now in its fourth generation, gets an all new exterior design language and an all new and ultra-luxurious interior with huge impetus on future technology and connectivity. The new generation Audi A8 will also be capable of advanced Level 3 autonomous driving, the first of its kind for any automobile globally. The new Audi A8 will also support future autonomous driving features like parking pilot, garage pilot and traffic jam pilot. As expected, the Audi A8 gets the Quattro driveline as standard giving it permanent all-wheel-drive. To begin with, the Audi A8 will get 6-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. Eventually, Audi will launch V8 petrol and diesel engines while the top of the line model will be the W12. There will also eventually be a powerful S8 variant. The new A8 will also get a hybrid or electrified version sometime in the future. Expect the new Audi A8 to make it to India sometime next year and cost upwards of Rs 1 Crore.
The new S-Class will be showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo
While the Audi A8 is scheduled to launch a little later in 2018, Mercedes-Benz will be launching the new S-Class sooner. The car will be showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo and from what we know, the car will be launched there too. Mercedes-Benz has been able to give the S-Class a unique identity and yes there are a lot of changes that you see on the car. On the exterior, the facelifted car differs from the pre-facelift with its new headlamps and tail lamps along with the new front and rear bumpers. The facelift S-Class also gets a new set of wheels as compared to the older car. There are changes to the cabin too. On the interior, the S-Class gets typically well made interiors with two new 12.3-linch high definition screens that make up the infotainment and the central command unit, something that we've seen on the E-Class. The S-Class also gets wood options for interior trim and leather options for the seats and the side panels. The new S-Class even gets new seats with a new fragrance function along with the obvious cooled, heated and massaging options. The new S-Class in India will have a range of new inline 6-cylinder petrol and diesel engines along with a range topping twin-turbo V8. The S-Class will also be available with the more powerful AMG options in the sedan, convertible and coupe formats along with the long wheelbase Maybach.
The Figo Aspire facelift is likely to get the new three cylinder petrol engine
Ford has been wanting to get back into the groove and with the EcoSport, it seems to have found a breath of fresh air. The company will therefore be pumping in some fresh air into the subcompact sedan Aspire too with a mid-life cycle update. Ford India is already testing the updated model that will get design tweaks along with an updated cabin. Expect to see a new touchscreen infotainment system, something similar to what it's got on the EcoSport. In fact it might even get the updated 1.5-litre 3 cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine too from the EcoSport to keep things even more interesting. The 1.5-litre TDCI diesel will continue to do duty on the Aspire.
The Vios will compete with the likes of the Honda City and the Ciaz
Toyota will finally bring us the much discussed and anticipated Vios compact sedan next year. The Vios is a compact sedan and will be going up against the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Honda City, and the new-generation Hyundai Verna that's coming this year. Toyota Kirloskar Motor will showcase the Vios at the Auto Expo in February next year, with a market launch and price announcement soon after in April. The Vios is 4420 mm in length and has a 2550 mm wheelbase. That's pretty much on par with the Honda City's 4440 mm length and 2600 mm wheelbase. Inside, the cabin has decent kit, with a touchscreen infotainment system, connectivity, and a nice palette. The Vios will likely get ABS with EBD, traction control, ISOFIX mounts for child seats, and dual airbags as standard. The top variants could boast brake assist and ESP (stability control)
The Ciaz facelift has been caught testing on a number of occasions
Maruti Suzuki has been doing well in the hatchback segment but has been lagging behind in the compact sedan segment. In 2017, the Ciaz was beaten by the Honda City and this year, it's looking to get back some of that lost ground. The Ciaz facelift comes with a new grille pattern possibly with subtler chrome surrounds rather than the chrome slats on the outgoing model. The headlamps look similar but the facelift will get some minor styling updated along with new LED daytime running lamps. The car also seems to get a revised front bumper with slightly larger foglamps. The tail lamp cluster too will be updated and we also expect a slightly revised rear bumper. Inside we expect updates like a new instrument cluster with redesigned speedometer and tachometer dials and a new large LCD display in the middle of the two pods. A redesigned dashboard with some small styling updates like wood inserts and chrome element, similar to the ones seen on the dashboard of the new Maruti Suzuki Dzire.
The BMW M5 will come to India as a CBU
BMW will bring its performance-spec M5 super sedan to India in 2018. The sedan will be launched at the 2018 Auto Expo and will be the range-topping version of the 5 Series to go on sale. The sixth generation BMW M5 is powered by a 4.4 litre bi-turbo V8 engine that produces about 600 bhp and 750 Nm of peak torque, and is the first M5 to get all-wheel drive. Arriving as a CBU, the M5 will cost north of 1 crore rupees in India.
