New cars for 2013 - Updated

We have compiled an array of exciting new cars coming in the next 12 months. Read on to find out what exciting new metal is in store for you.

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If you plan to buy a new car, it might be worth waiting for these. Here is our annual list of new cars that you can expect to see in the showrooms near you over the next 12 months. There’s something for everyone — hatchbacks, small saloons, big saloons, MPVs and SUVs of all shapes and sizes. Read on to find out what exciting new metal is in store starting this month.

Chevrolet Beat facelift

Its funky design may still be as striking as ever, but the Beat is due to get its first styling update sometime in 2013. As part of the refresh, the Beat will get reprofiled bumpers, a larger honeycomb grille and different wing mirrors, apart from tweaks to the front and rear lights. The mechanicals are likely to remain unchanged though.

FACTFILE
Engine: 1.2-litre petrol, 1.0-litre diesel
Power/torque: 79bhp/10.9kgm, 58.5bhp/15.2kgm
Kerb weight: 965-1027kg
L/W/H: 3640/1595/1520mm
Expected: Mid-2013
Price: Rs 3.8-5.7 lakh*

Fiat Punto Evo

Free from its unsuccessful sales and service tie-up with Tata Motors, Fiat now needs fresh products to get customers back into its showrooms. And the Punto Evo could be just the right model to get the ball rolling. With a new front bumper, different grille and reworked head- and tail-lights, it looks quite different from the Punto on sale today. The European car also gets a new dashboard, though it is not certain whether this will make it onto the India-spec version. All other mechanicals are likely to be carried on from before, though.

FACTFILE
Engine: 1.2-litre petrol, 1.4-litre petrol, 1.3-litre diesel, 1.3-litre diesel
Power/torque: 67bhp/9.76kgm, 89bhp/11.67kgm, 75bhp/20.08kgm, 90bhp/21.3kgm
Kerb weight: 1090-1144kg
L/W/H: 3987/1687/1495mm
Expected: Mid-2013
Price: Rs 5-7.5 lakh*

Hyundai New i10

Hyundai’s i10 may no longer be the massive seller that it once was, but that could change with the arrival of the new model in September 2013. Spied testing near Chennai, the new car (codename: BA) appears to be both longer and wider than the current i10, which points to a more spacious cabin. The camouflaged test car’s swept-back headlamps, hexagonal cues in the region of the front grille and rising shoulder line also hint that the new i10 will conform to Hyundai’s ‘Fluidic Sculpture’ design language. Engine options will include the variable valve timing-equipped 1.2-litre Kappa petrol motor from the current i10 and also a new 1.0-litre petrol unit from the same engine family. But what will seriously boost the i10’s appeal is the new 1.1-litre common-rail diesel engine currently under-development at Hyundai. A lengthy features list and competitive pricing should mark this out as one of the cars to wait for in 2013. A compact saloon based on the new i10 is also believed to be under development.

FACTFILE
Engine: 1.0-litre petrol, 1.2-litre petrol, 1.1-litre diesel
Power/torque: NA, 79bhp/11.4kgm, NA
Kerb weight: NA
L/W/H: NA
Expected: September 2013
Price: Rs 3.5-6 lakh*

Maruti A-star facelift

The slow-selling Maruti A-Star is scheduled to receive a fairly comprehensive makeover in 2013.
On display at the recent Chengdu Motor Show in China (where it is sold as the Alto), the updated car looks a lot more grown up than the current model. It gets larger and more angular headlamps that flow into a new grille and also different front and rear bumpers. Changes to the cabin are likely to be restricted to new upholstery only, and the K10 engine will carry on unaltered.

FACTFILE
Engine: 1.0-litre petrol
Power/torque: 66bhp/9kgm
Kerb weight: 895kg
L/W/H: 3500/1600/1490mm
Expected: Mid-2013
Price: Rs 3.7-4.5 lakh*

Tata Nano variants

Tata will follow the Nano 2012 up with further upgrades to the car in 2013. Chief among these will be the option of power steering, which will address one of the Nano’s key weaknesses. A compact electric power-steering unit fitted under the steering column will make the Nano easier to drive. Among other likely additions are a hinged tailgate, alloy wheels and a dedicated glove compartment on the dashboard. You can expect this fully loaded version of the Nano to cost around Rs 25,000 more than the top LX variant. Tata will also launch the Nano with a CNG kit in the coming year, though the hugely anticipated diesel Nano is unlikely to make production before 2014. 

FACTFILE
Engine: 0.6-litre petrol
Power/torque: 37.4bhp/5.2kgm
Kerb weight: 635kg
L/W/H: 3099/1495/1652mm
Expected: Early-2013
Price: Rs 2.2 lakh*

Volkswagen Polo Auto

Polo sales haven’t quite matched up to Volkswagen’s expectations. VW wants to turn things around, and the recent update that saw the top-end Highline variants get added kit and a price cut was only the start. The manufacturer is now readying an automatic version of the petrol car. If that doesn’t have you interested, the fact that this version will get a 1.2-litre TSI turbocharged engine and a seven-speed dual-clutch DSG gearbox (codename DQ200) certainly will. Power will see a spike up to 104bhp, making this the most powerful hatchback in its class, and thanks to the dual-clutch ’box, fuel economy shouldn’t be bad either. Given the tech on offer, expect the Polo auto to cost at least Rs 1 lakh more than the petrol manual Highline. Further down the road, VW will also give the Polo a downsized 1.5-litre version of the Vento’s diesel engine, but it won’t be available anytime before 2014.

FACTFILE
Engine: 1.2-litre turbo-petrol
Power/torque: 104bhp/24.2kgm
Kerb weight: NA
L/W/H:3970/1682/1453mm
Expected: March 2013
Price: Rs 8 lakh*

* Estimated, ex-showroom, Delhi

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Two highly anticipated cars and a whole lot more in the June 2013 issue
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