Upcoming Car Launches: Here is what’s coming to India this October

The month of October will see some long awaited products being launched in the country. From premium hatchbacks to performance SUVs, we have at least six products heading to the Indian market this month. We compile a list of upcoming car launches in India.

At the front of the list of vehicles to be launched in India is the new BMW X5M and X6M. BMW’s latest-generation performance spec X5M and X6M, which made their first appearance at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2014, would make their entry on the Indian soil on October 15. Both models are powered by a new 4.4-litre M TwinPower Turbo V8 engine with two TwinScroll turbochargers which delivers 575 hp of power and 750 Nm of torque.

Fiat Abarth Punto

Following the Bavarian SUVs will be Fiat India who will launch the much talked about hot-hatch, the Abarth Punto in India on October 19. With 145 bhp on tap, this Italian stinger, on launched, will be India’s most powerful hatchback.

Maruti Baleno

The all-new Maruti Baleno premium hatchback will share the space with the S-Cross at the Indian car maker’s “premium” Nexa showroom from October 26 onwards. Bookings for the new Baleno have commenced, with the token amount being INR 25,000. Under the hood of the new Baleno hatchback will be a 1.2 litre VVT petrol engine that would deliver 84PS of power and 115 Nm of torque. Accompanying the petrol powered motor will be the tried and tested 1.3-litre diesel engine that would deliver 75PS of power and 190 Nm of torque. Both the motors will come mated to a 5 speed manual transmission.

Maruti Ertiga facelift

The 2015 Suzuki Ertiga, or the Maruti Ertiga facelift that was unveiled in Indonesia in August this year will arrive in India in October. While Maruti has not confirmed the launch date, with the festive season right around the corner, we expect to see the facelift Ertiga in Indian showrooms very soon. Visually, not much has changed, but the face-lift gives the timid looking Ertiga a major confidence boost with a bolder front fascia.

Chevrolet Trailblazer

Chevrolet officially unveiled the Trailblazer SUV and Spin MPV in India in July 2015. As reported before, the Chevrolet SUV will be launched in October 2015, while the Spin MPV will hit Indian shores in 2017. The Chevrolet Trailblazer will be powered by an all-new 2.8-litre Duramax turbo-diesel, in-line 4 cylinder engine that develops 200 hp of power and 500 Nm of torque. An earlier report suggested that initially, Chevrolet will be launching the Trailblazer with only a 2WD variant paired to an automatic transmission.

Mercedes GLE

The Mercedes GLE will also make way into the Indian soil in October 2015. According to Mercedes-Benz’s new nomenclature, the current ML Class, in its next iteration will turn into the GLE Class, to better reflect its positioning in the E-Class range of cars. Mercedes-Benz will introduce the V6 equipped GLE 350d variant that will deliver 255 bhp from its 3.0 litre power plant. Also on offer will be the GLE 250d variant that will be powered by a 2.1 litre diesel engine putting up 203 bhp of power. The GLE will also be blessed with a AMG Sport model.

We would be covering all the launch events so stay tuned for all the latest updates. Do share your views about these upcoming launched through the comments section below.

The Classic Car Show Becomes A Global Success

The first series of The Classic Car Show is officially a worldwide hit and is now watched in more than 100 countries The producers behind the first series of The Classic Car Show (Wise Old Fox Limited) are no doubt overjoyed with the shows reception. It has enjoyed an overwhelmingly positive response with excellent viewing figures across all 13 episodes aired on Channel 5 in the UK and international sales success through Sony Pictures Entertainment means it is now in more than 100 countries around the world. Wise Old Fox Limited is a new ambitious independent television and film production company set up by Jim Wiseman and Stephanie Fox. 

Both car lovers, they met during their time working for the Top Gear brand. They have a combined production and direction experience of 25 years across genres such as entertainment, sport, documentary making, game shows, promos, adverts and live events. Having worked for major international brands such as BBC F1, Sport Relief, CarFest, Red Bull Racing, Scuderia Ferrari, Pirelli, Celebrity Golf Cup and Top Gear. Wise Old Fox has access to some of the best directors, camera operators and editors in the world when it comes to filming cars. 

This is exactly what they did when asked to produce The Classic Car Show. Over the last ten years the classic car market has become a multi-billion pound industry with values growing ahead of equities, fine art, wine and London real estate. Top-end Ferraris have increased in value by 55 per cent in 2013 alone* and collectively the classic car market has grown faster than any other asset class, increasing by 257 per cent since 2005**. It is this growth, global intrigue and unparalleled glamour that has driven the creation of The Classic Car Show. 

The Classic Car Show is presented by renowned motoring journalist Quentin Willson and the motoring-mad supermodel turned TV presenter, Jodie Kidd. This landmark new series has travelled the globe celebrating all manner of classic cars, from the glamorous and stratospherically expensive Ferrari 250 GT California Spider to more humble icons like the MGB GT. And viewers have loved every minute. The series debut on Channel 5 earlier this year saw average weekly-consolidated viewing figures of 642,000, an uplift of some 42 per cent for the 7pm Thursday slot. 


The series reached a peak of 922,000 viewers, achieved during its first episode which averaged 750,000. As a result of the success of The Classic Car Show on Channel 5, Sony Pictures Television, which distributes the show internationally, has sold the first series to more than 100 countries around the world including: Discovery Turbo in Latin America covering 43 countries; BBC Brit in Poland; History Channel in Japan; a multi-territory deal with BBC Brit in Africa, spanning 58 countries; SBS in Australia and Mega in Greece. 

The series featured celebrity contributions from the likes of Bruno Senna, David Gandy, Steve Coogan, Britt Ekland, Tinie Tempah, Derek Bell MBE and Sir Stirling Moss, uncovered rare barn finds and gave viewers the lowdown on which classics to buy now before their values go through the roof. The show’s unique ability to highlight undervalued cars was proved when prices of the classic Ferrari 456 doubled within weeks of it being mentioned on the programme. One of the most popular episodes was the show’s James Bond Special, which celebrated cars from the 007 series and even guest-starred ex-Stig and Daniel Craig stunt double, Ben Collins. 

Social media response to the show was also overwhelmingly positive. The programme also attracted high-end commercial partners, with sponsorship from Watchfinder. For the first time in its history, luxury car brand Aston Martin provided television viewers with the opportunity to drive away in a brand new bespoke Aston Martin V8 Vantage. This was one of the most successful TV car competitions ever with an unprecedented viewer response. Russ Lindsay said: “We’re incredibly proud of The Classic Car Show. 

The whole premise of the series was to create a series celebratory in tone without gimmicks or distractions. The episodes were packed full of content to delight classic car lovers and the contributions were second to none with the likes of Bruno Senna, David Gandy and Sir Stirling Moss. “We also designed the format and content of the show for an international audience, not just a UK one, and that has been reflected in the global sales.” Russ Lindsay is the founder of Infinity Creative Media Ltd and co-founder of James Grant Management, the UK’s largest independent media, music and sports talent agency. 

Over the last 30 years, Russ has managed many of the UK’s top media and sports personalities including Phillip Schofield, Ant and Dec, Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan and Clare Balding. During his time at James Grant, Russ produced the majority of their productions in music, theatre and television. Infinity has created a unique and compelling television model, being high quality EIS eligible ‘Investor Funded Programmes’ produced for worldwide sale, the first three being The Classic Car Show, The Wine Show and The Art Show. 

The Chairman of Infinity is Lord Michael Grade; the CEO is Ross Westgate, a former news anchor at CNBC with over 20 years in the global broadcast business; the COO is Simon Drinkall who has 15 successful years in institutional and alternative investment banking. Classic Car Show executive producer and presenter Quentin Willson, said: “We’ve made TV history by celebrating classic cars in a deeply glamorous and passionate way and we’re all delighted that so many mainstream viewers, who aren’t hard core old car enthusiasts, have tuned in. 


The feedback from international viewers is the same – they tell us love the way we’ve brought beauty, style and sexiness to the world of classic cars.”

The McLaren 570S Coupé is the first – and highest powered – model launched

The McLaren 570S Coupé is the first – and highest powered – model launched in the recently announced Sports Series

Overall performance for the 570S Coupé is class-leading with the 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint taking 3.2 seconds, while 200 km/h is reached in just 9.5 seconds. Top speed is 328 km/h (204 mph).


Following its global debut at the New York International Auto Show in April 2015, the new model range marks the entry of McLaren into the luxury sports car market, introducing race-derived technologies and supercar performance in a package which is very much a pure McLaren. Lightweight construction, including the use of a carbon fibre chassis, recognisable design values and a comprehensive specification list ensures a class-leading offering, and as uncompromised as is expected from a McLaren. With pricing starting at £143,250, the 570S Coupé is available to order now with deliveries depending on market starting before the end of 2015 - the 540C Coupé, which retails from £126,000, follows in Q2 2016. 

The latest addition to the range completes the three tier model strategy for McLaren alongside the Super Series and Ultimate Series. The Sports Series is the most usable and attainable model to wear a McLaren badge to date, but it retains the core design and dynamic focus that ensures it is still worthy of the iconic name. 


Weighing as little as 1,313kg (2,895lbs), thanks in part to the unique lightweight carbon fibre MonoCell II chassis, the Sports Series is almost 150kg lighter than its closest rival. Power is provided by an evolution of the 3.8-litre twin turbo V8 engine with 30 percent new components. This ensures electrifying performance, with the 570S boasting a class-leading power-to-weight figure of 434PS.  At the same time, the interior is more tailored around day-to-day usability, with optimised access, greater levels of stowage space and more refinement.

The Sports Series is a showcase of modern craftsmanship, with each model hand-finished at the state-of-the-art McLaren Production Centre (MPC) in Woking, England. A suite of new optional content and a ‘By McLaren’ designer range of interiors highlight the levels of customisation available.

Creta sets the sales charts on fire

At one level, you cannot help but agree with the Senior Vice-President (Sales & Marketing) of Hyundai Motors India given the resounding reception the SUV has received in the market since its launch in July.

With Creta sales comfortably averaging over 7,500 units each month, Srivasatva has reasons to be pleased with this showing. More importantly, Hyundai would also feel quite triumphant since the vehicle has shown the way in a segment where it was hardly present.

Not only has the Creta zoomed ahead in the SUV rankings game, it has ended up putting pressure on rival products from Mahindra & Mahindra, Renault, Ford and, more recently, Maruti Suzuki. The Bolero is perhaps slightly ahead at this point, but it is not directly comparable to the segment the Creta operates in.

“This is a strong statement from Hyundai in a segment where we were not present. This is even more significant since a brand has succeeded in a poor market,” adds Srivastava.

Today, 20 per cent of Cretas sold are automatics, while petrol accounts for 25 per cent of sales, and this, in a market where diesel dominates the SUV space with a 90 per cent share. According to Srivastava, there is also a growing queue of women looking to buy the product. “Women have expressed tremendous interest in the Creta as it is a stylish SUV that offers ease of driving, with an automatic option and modern day gizmos. The Creta is connected to the modern world,” he declares.

There was, of course, a lot of hard work put into making the SUV a reality. It was a marathon exercise which involved Hyundai’s R&D teams from South Korea and India working in tandem to understand what the SUV customer really wanted. The company was only too aware that this was a challenger brand which would have to take on established leaders like the Scorpio, Duster and EcoSport.

‘Understand needs of buyers’

“Understanding the aspirations and needs of the buyer has really worked for the Creta. In particular, we were aware of the growing evolution of the customer and his priorities,” 

This also explains how previous launches like the Grand i10 and Elite i20 had hit the sweet spot in the market. Research on the making of the Creta suggested that the existing lineup of SUVs in India was essentially what one would term “rough with bare necessities”.

Hyundai believed the need of the hour was an offering with a taller stance and dominating presence which was also capable of handling rough roads. As a result, the rough feature had to be replaced by something strong, bold and beautiful. Bare necessities had to give way to something with a luxury feel, and a premium technology experience. “In a competitive scenario, it was important to focus on the customer’s wants, especially when almost everyone is clued into smartphones and applications. Creta needed to make driving modern,” 

Confident of success

These are still early days for the SUV but Hyundai is confident that it has hit the bull’s-eye with this offering. To that extent, it has the potential to be a disruptive product that can change the dynamics in the auto arena, right from rival SUVs as well as premium sedans. This is also a market where SUVs have been seeing rapid growth and are gradually eating into the conventional car space.

In this backdrop, the sky is the limit for the Creta; though  reiterates that there will be no room for complacency as the team will continue stepping on the gas in its selling efforts. This was the case with the i10 and i20 as well, which are doing over 11,000 units per month each and, with the Creta, have boosted Hyundai’s monthly numbers to well over 40,000 units.

Again, thanks to the Creta’s good showing thus far, the Korean carmaker has revised upwards its original business plan of doing 4.65 lakh units in the Indian market this calendar.

The overall projections, including its international business, are a little over 6.3 lakh units. Exports of the Creta will also have to take a backseat for the moment as the waiting list in the domestic market is already over three months. By the end of the day, it has been a remarkable year for Hyundai and it will be interesting to see how it sustains the momentum in the coming years.

Changing profiles

The company has been around in India for nearly two decades now and had made its intent known even then as the first serious rival to Maruti Suzuki. It launched the Santro to take on the latter’s compact car monopoly and hit pay dirt almost immediately.

Maruti, has not been an easy pushover and is comfortably ahead with monthly sales averaging one lakh plus units. Despite this, Hyundai would have reason to feel optimistic with the heady response to the Creta coupled with the fact that the market is transitioning to SUVs.

The company has been quick to recognise that the profile of the Indian buyer has been changing thanks to technology and higher disposable income levels. The focus on styling and design has paid off and Hyundai will hope to build on this growth.