New car, SUV launches in September and beyond

With the festive season soon approaching, carmakers are lining up a slew of car launches over the next couple of months. Here is a list of all the new cars and SUVs that are expected to hit showroom floors very soon.

MG Astor – festive season

Earlier last month, MG officially confirmed the Astor for India, while also revealing several features and technology that it will come equipped with. The MG Astor is essentially a facelifted, petrol-powered version of the ZS SUV, which is already on sale in India with an EV powertrain. The Astor will come equipped with segment-first Level 2 ADAS features and will even feature a personal AI assistant through a robot-like device on the dashboard. Under the hood, the Astor is expected to come with a 120hp, 1.5-litre petrol engine and a 163hp, 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine. The car is expected to be launched sometime around the festive season.

Volkswagen Taigun – September 23, 2021

After all the anticipation, prices for the Volkswagen Taigun are finally set to be announced on September 23. The first Volkswagen-badged model under the India 2.0 programme, the Taigun, is the sister model to the Skoda Kushaq and marks VW’s entry into the competitive midsize SUV space. While the two SUVs share cosmetic bits like the doors, roof and glasshouse, the Taigun gets a notably different front and rear end, in line with VW’s design direction. The cabin too gets some similarities, with VW tweaking some elements to help its SUV standout from the Kushaq. Under the hood, the Taigun will share the pair of turbo-petrol engine options on offer with the Kushaq.

Force Gurkha – September 2021

The new Force Gurkha was originally revealed at the 2020 Auto Expo, though the model’s launch has been significantly delayed due to the pandemic. Force has now finally confirmed that the Gurkha will see the light of day in September. While the new Gurkha looks similar to the previous model, it is all-new and sits on an upgraded ladder frame chassis. The cabin too has received upgrades to make it feel more upmarket than its utilitarian predecessor. As before, buyers can expect 4x4 and 4x2 versions of the SUV, with the former getting locking differentials and low range. Power will come from a familiar 90hp, 260Nm, 2.6-litre diesel engine, paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox.

Tata Punch – festive season

The Tata Punch is going to be the carmaker’s first micro-SUV and will be positioned below the Nexon compact-SUV. Tata recently confirmed the Punch nameplate, which has stayed faithful to the HBX concept from the 2020 Auto Expo that it is based on. The Punch has the signature Tata SUV family design language. Based on the ALFA architecture, which also underpins the Altroz, the interior of the Punch will also be very similar to that of the Altroz. Under the hood, the Punch is expected to be powered by an 83hp, 1.2-litre naturally aspirated three-cylinder engine and a turbocharged version of the same. Gearbox choices for the Punch are expected to include both, a 5-speed manual and an AMT automatic option. The launch is expected sometime in September.

Ford EcoSport facelift – festive season

The Ford EcoSport facelift was recently spied testing completely undisguised and is expected to launch in the coming weeks. The spy pictures revealed a completely new front end with a new grille and bumper. Apart from the face, there aren’t many exterior changes expected elsewhere on the compact-SUV. The photographs did not reveal any details about the interior but expect Ford to spruce up the SUV's cabin with newer textures and more features. Under the hood, the Ford EcoSport facelift will carry forward the powertrain options from the current car. That means it will continue with the 100hp, 1.5-litre turbo-diesel and the 123hp, 1.5-litre, three-cylinder, naturally-aspirated petrol motor.

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