This year’s Paris Motor Show has a particularly large number of small cars and crossovers. Some of them are expected to reach the Indian shores by as early as the first quarter of next year while few others are high on our wish list. Here’s a small list of cars that are India-bound.
Suzuki S-Cross facelift
Three years after introducing it in the European markets, Suzuki has thoroughly updated the S-Cross. Although it’s a love or hate affair, there is no denying that the S-Cross now has a more impactful design upfront. The car also has a slightly higher ground clearance at 180mm, compared to 165mm in the outgoing model. Mechanically, European buyers will get an option of Suzuki’s new turbocharged petrol engine besides the more popular 1.6-litre diesel unit. Maruti Suzuki, meanwhile, will continue with the current line-up consisting of the 1.3 and 1.6 diesel.
Audi Q5
The Audi Q5, for quite some time, has played second fiddle to much newer rivals like the Mercedes GLE and the BMW X5. Now though Audi is looking to change that with an all-new generation of the Q5. Agreeably, it now looks a lot like the bigger Q7 which is not a bad thing at all. That said, the headlining upgrades come in the form of an all new chassis (allowing weight reductions of up to 90kg) and an entirely new interior which looks thoroughly modern and worthy of the car’s asking price. While we have already seen pre-production prototypes in India on several occasions, the actual car is expected to hit showrooms not until late next year.
Suzuki Ignis
Like the new S-Cross, this little Suzuki also divides opinions when it comes to the design. Weirdly enough, the Ignis has been projected as a crossover in Europe whereas for the Indian market, it will add to Maruti Suzuki’s ever-growing line up of hatchbacks. Under the hood, the Euros-spec Ignis gets a 1.2-litre Dualjet unit as well as a 1-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Maruti though is likely to offer the Ignis with a diesel engine (and a naturally aspirated petrol motor) and price it somewhere between the Celerio and the Swift.
Skoda Kodiaq
The Kodiaq is perhaps one of the most crucial launches at the premium end of the market. Expected to go on sale next year, this 7-seater crossover offering will be a truly practical offering. The Kodiaq is built around VW Group’s MQB platform which features a lot of lightweight chassis components. Globally, it will be offered with up to five engine options – two TDI and three TSI units. The petrol range consists of two 1.4-litre and a single 2-litre unit whereas the diesels are the familiar 2-litre units in two different state of tunes. The Indian market though, will get the highly desirable diesel-DSG combo and even all-wheel drive. To be introduced as their flagship offering above the Superb, the Kodiaq will be Skoda India’s biggest launch for 2017.
Hyundai Grand i10 facelift
The updated Hyundai Grand i10 (sold as the new i10 in Europe) gets minor refreshments to its design though on a crucial note, it also packs in more safety features and tech overall. Inside, there’s a new 7-inch infotainment system with smartphone mirroring and lots of active safety features including a front collision warning system and lane departure warning. The new Grand i10 will go on sale in Europe early next year, followed by other markets including India.
