There is a global shift in car consumer trends and this time around it appears to be SUVs. Across the range, automakers have begun creating new cars and are slotting them alongside the regular hatchbacks and sedans. This year’s Paris Motor Show has seen quite a few new launches across the range and here are some of the highlights that we think you will enjoy. All of these vehicles are India-bound and should make their way to our shores within the next year or two.
1. Suzuki S-Cross facelift
It’s the Japanese automaker’s D-segment crossover which has gone undergone a mid-life update and one we can expect to see in India by the end of the next year. Changes include a new face, slightly updated interiors and the option of the 1.0-litre or 1.4-litre BoosterJet petrol engine. Both engine options can be had with a six-speed MT or six-speed AT while Suzuki ALLGRIP AWD system is only offered with the 1.4-litre engine.
2. New Land Rover Discovery
This is the latest generation of the British automaker’s iconic modern SUV and is the fifth since the vehicle was launched in 1989. Built from the Discovery Vision Concept, it follows LRs latest design language but while still retaining the lines of the original. It has become lighter and longer and will be offered with a variety of four-cylinder and six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. All powertrains gets an eight-speed ZF AT and AWD system as standard.
3. Skoda Kodiaq
Skoda has finally jumped on the full-size SUV bandwagon and has unveiled the Kodiaq which will go on sale in India from mid-2017. It is a D-segment vehicle and will slot in above the Superb sedan in their lineup. It embodies most of the Czech automaker’s latest vehicle design philosophy and will be offered with the same range of petrol and diesel engines as well as gearbox options found in the sedan.
4. 2018 Audi Q5
Audi has taken the wraps off its latest generation of the Q5 mid-size SUV. It moves to the MLBEvo platform and has become lighter, longer and wider than the outgoing model. It will go on sale from later this year and is expected to make its way to India by the middle of the next year and will be offered with a range of four-cylinder/six-cylinder diesel engines as well as the new 2.0-litre petrol unit found in the latest A4 sedan.
5. Renault Koleos
If there is one thing that the French can do it is to make a good looking car and the new Renault Koleos is quite a good example of that. Unveiled at the Auto Show, it will slot alongside the Megane sedan as an alternate body style in the same price bracket. It gets a new design philosophy, interiors and is the new flagship SUV from the French automaker. It will arrive in India in late 2017 via the CBU route and possibly only with the diesel engine option.
