The post COVID-19 has turned out to be a massive opportunity for the Indian Auto Industry. The domestic car industry recorded its worst year in 2019 and things went haywire in 2020 with COVID-19 induced lockdown forcing sales numbers to drop as low as zero. With lockdown over and economy slowly recovering, people are now looking to go out in the market to buy new and used vehicles. What has changed however, is that the desire to buy a personal vehicle has intensified as not many people want to travel in public transport.
1) Datsun redi-GO Price – Rs 2.83 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
Datsun has recently announced the launch of the new redi-GO in India at a starting price tag of Rs 2.83 lakh (ex-showroom, pan-India). The new redi-GO brings a heavy update to the exterior styling and adds new features to bring it up to date in terms of design and features. It now comes with things like L-shaped Daytime Running Lights (DRL), sleek headlamps with silver accents, LED fog lamps, 14-inch wheels with a dual-tone wheel cover, LED tail-lamps, and updated door trim with fabric. It now is the most affordable hatchback in India, and probably the best looking too.
2) Renault Kwid Price – Rs 2.92 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
The new Renault Kwid gets a larger 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system featuring Android Auto and Apple CarPlay that it shares with the Tribler MPV. The instrument cluster too is derived from the Triber with a digital cluster that includes a tachometer. It is powered by an 800-cc unit that delivers 54hp and 72Nm of torque and a 1.0-litre block that churns out 68hp and 91 Nm of torque. The facelift comes at Rs 2.92 lakh (ex-showroom).
3) Maruti Suki Alto Price – Rs 2.95 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
The 800cc Maruti Suzuki Alto and the 1.0-litre Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 have been company’s best-selling models for some time now. The 800cc model produces 48hp and is paired to a 5-speed manual only, while the K10 is now replaced by S-Presso. At the start of this year, the 800cc Alto underwent a facelift; received a cosmetic makeover, the engine was upgraded to meet BS6 emission standards, and it meets upcoming crash- and pedestrian safety regulations. Price for the car starts at Rs 2.95 lakh (ex-showroom).
4) Maruti Suzuki S-Presso Price – Rs 3.71 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
In an attempt to make the SUV segment more accessible among the masses, the company launched the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso, which is essentially a tall boy hatchback inspired from SUV design at Rs 3.71 lakh (ex-showroom). It gets features such as an infotainment system derived from WagonR that comes with Maruti’s Smartplay 2.0 featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The car also gets steering mounted controls and power windows at the rear as standard. The S-Presso is powered by the same K10 engine that powered the Alto K10. The engine comes with BS-VI compliance and produces 64 bhp and 90Nm of torque through a 5-speed manual transmission.
5) Hyundai Santro Price – Rs 4.57 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
The new Hyundai Santro comes packed with new age technology including segment-first like 17.64 cm (6.94-inch) touchscreen audio-video system. The multi-media system has Android Auto, Apple Carplay and Mirror Link along with supporting Voice Recognition Function & Rear Parking Camera display on the screen. It is powered by a 1.0-litre petrol engine which produces 69ps at 5,500 rpm. Prices for the new Santro starts at Rs 4.57 lakh (ex-showroom).
Alternatively, once can also look at Tata Tiago and Maruti Suzuki Wagon R, both of which are priced similar to Hyundai Santro and gets almost the similar set of features. While the Wagon R offers more space than any of the three cars, Tata Tiago offers the best design.
