New cars for 2015: Hatchbacks

You may walk into a dealership and the salesman might just tell you about launches just around the corner, but this is your one stop to get all the dope on hatchbacks that will be making their way into the showrooms in 2015.

TATA NANO TWIST ACTIVE
As we’ve seen in the last few years, Tata has chosen to update the Nano sequentially rather than with one big facelift. And for 2015, it will get one of its most significant updates yet. Dubbed the Twist Active, this version will get a mild facelift, better interiors, and an opening tailgate for much better practicality. It will also get the option of an AMT automatic gearbox, which should do wonders for its appeal as a small, efficient urban runabout. The AMT will be a similar unit to the one in the Zest. Of course, all this will make it more expensive than the standard car, but it’s still likely to be the most affordable automatic car in the world.

Factfile
Coming: 2015
Est price: Rs 2.5 lakh
Engine(s): 0.6 petrol
Rivals: Maruti Alto 800

DATSUN REDI-GO

yes, this is only a concept, but the Datsun Redi-Go looks quite striking for what’s going to be one of the most affordable cars in India, particularly since the production car will at least ape a lot of the styling cues seen here. It was unveiled to the world at the 2014 Auto Expo. This car’s 2,350mm wheelbase points to generous cabin room and its crossover-like appearance will appeal to the SUV-loving Indian masses. The production version of the Datsun Redi-Go will use an all-new platform, Alliance Partner Renault’s new CMF-A, although the French company is bringing out its own car on that platform first. However, what we do know is that the Datsun Redi-Go will be powered by the same three-cylinder, 800cc petrol engine as its Renault counterpart. When it does go on sale in 2016, the car will be very aggressively priced too – in fact, we’re expecting that all variants will be sold for less than Rs 4 lakh, making it an aggressive Maruti Alto 800 competitor.

Factfile
Coming: 2016
Est price: Rs 3-4 lakh
Engine(s): 0.8 petrol
Rivals: Maruti Alto 800, Hyundai Santro

NEW RENAULT SMALL CAR

Renault is also working on a new budget hatchback based on the same platform as Datsun Redi-Go to take on the likes of Maruti and Hyundai at the low-cost, high-volume end of the market. In fact, Renault is the lead brand for this new small platform which is likely to be launched before Alliance partner Nissan comes out with the Datsun Redi-Go.

This baby Renault will use the most affordable version of Renault’s new Common Module Family (CMF) platform, called CMF-A. Though it will share this platform with the Datsun Redi-Go,
the company insists this won’t be another re-badging job like other cars in the Renault-Nissan Alliance, namely the Duster-Terrano, Sunny-Scala or Micra-Pulse. The Renault car will be styled differently too; however, the engine will be common – an-all new 800cc petrol.

Factfile
Coming: Mid-2015
Est price: Rs 3 lakh
Engine(s): 0.8 petrol
Rivals: Maruti Alto 800, Hyundai Eon

TATA KITE

Following the Zest and Bolt is an all-new family of Tata cars codenamed Kite, which is fundamentally an all-new car sitting on a thoroughly re-engineered platform of the original Indica (code: X0). The Kites (coming in hatchback and compact sedan iterations) will sit a rung lower than the Zest and Bolt and fill the gap above the Nano. Going by what we’ve seen in the Zest and the Bolt, there’s a lot to be excited about with the Kites. You can expect a more attractive exterior and interior and a whole lot more equipment. The quality in the cabin should a big improvement, and Tata is said to be working on fine-tuning the suspension for better comfort and handling as well. The Kite will likely go head to head with sub-premium hatchbacks like the Chevrolet Beat, Hyundai i10 and Maruti Celerio, but since the basic dimensions of the car are the same as before, you can expect fantastic interior space in the Kite by segment standards.

Factfile
Coming: End 2015
Est price: Rs 4-5 lakh
Engine(s): 1.2 petrol, 1.4 diesel
Rivals: Maruti Celerio, Hyundai i10, Chevrolet Beat