5 Of The Most Awaited Car Launches In March 2016

India will witness some of the best launches this month. Automakers are queuing up to launch their products and showcase their engineering. Let's take a look at the five of the car launches.

Renault Duster AMT:

Renault is gearing up to launch their automatic variant of the best-selling Duster, this will be their first major change on the Duster SUV.

Duster has teased the imagination of the customer with its bold design and feel of an SUV at a much lesser price. Renault unveiled the Duster AMT at the recently concluded Auto Expo 2016 held at Greater Noida, Delhi.

The new Duster boasts of redesigned front bumper to look more muscular, the headlamps are more hawkish blended to the nicely chromed twin-slat grille and beautiful badging in the middle. The wheels have been given the gunmetal finish and the taillamps have been updated with LED.

The prices of the new AMT (Automatic Manual Transmission) will be Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 50,000 more than the manual variant of the compact SUV.

Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza:

Maruti Suzuki will be launching the Vitara Brezza on 21st March. Even if India's largest carmaker is a late entrant to the compact sub-four metre SUV segment, the Brezza has created a lot of buzz much before its launch.

The Brezza was unveiled at the Auto Expo 2016 and the curiosity has not died down. On the exterior, the Brezza will sport a chrome front single slat grille which is flanked by angular headlamps and DRL's (Daytime running lights) are integrated to the headlamps. The rear of the SUV is flanked by a large chrome finish just above the number plate and the engravings of Vitara Brezza.

The compact SUV is expected in the range of Rs. 6.5 lakhs to Rs. 7.5 lakhs ex-showroom. Maruti boasts of well-connected service centres and showrooms and will be banking on them to outsell other competitors.

Tata Tiago:

Tata Tiago which has been rechristened from its previous name Zika was mainly due to the virus with the same name as zika, the epidemic which caused much worry in the world. Tata is betting big on this hatchback after dim sales of its Bolt and Zest cars.

The Tiago looks very different compared to the cars Tata has been offering to the customers. The honeycomb design of the front air dam flows smooth to the lines of the front bonnet. The smoked headlamps give it a youthful look to the hatchback. The rear of the car looks angular and the lines are accentuated to be sharp and vibrant.

The pricing of the car will be competitive in the price range of Rs. 4 lakh ex-showroom and will be pitted against the likes of Maruti Celerio and Hyundai Grand i10.

Honda Amaze Facelift:

Honda will launch the new Amaze facelift on 3rd March, the Amaze is going through the facelift only now after three years of its launch. The most prominent changes is on its exterior, the front grille will sport more chrome and restyled headlamps. The bumpers have been remodelled to give it wider angle designs.

Honda will offer a new colour option of metallic blue shade which is currently available in Brio. The engine specification will remain the same. As for the interior, the facelifted Amaze will get all-new touchscreen infotainment system and minor changes on the dashboard.

The car is expected to cost Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000 more than the current version and the pricing of it starts at Rs. 5.26 lakhs ex-showroom (Delhi). The car is competing with Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire, Ford Figo Aspire, Tata Zest and Hyundai Xcent, also, Volkswagen will launch the Ameo later this year.

Mahindra Canto (Quanto):

Mahindra wants to bring back the Quanto and it could be renamed as Canto/Cresto. Mahindra has been very quiet about this sub-four-metre compact SUV details. From some of the spy images, the SUV has been updated with a new grille and LED DRL's (Daytime Running Lights), new bumper, bonnet with air-scoop and new body panels.

Mahindra could offer an automatic variant along the 5-speed manual gearbox, and there will an option for 5-seater and 7-seater as well. The present version prices start at Rs. 6.7 lakhs onwards; and the new SUV will cost Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000 more.

All of these cars are a big bet for its manufacturers as they are looking to reinvent or enter a space which is already dominated by some its competitors. The customer will have the best option to choose from. The budget 2016 has brought a lot of mixed reactions from the automakers as there will hike in prices in all segments and this could well mean that these five cars will be dearer in price compared to what it was priced at.