Top 9 Car Launches Of 2019

2019 has been an exciting and busy year for automakers in India as well as for us with so many key launches happening across segments. Though the auto industry has not been quite on the upbeat throughout the year due to the ongoing slowdown, automakers have not hold back from bringing in new cars. In fact, there are a couple of them who have entered our market just this year. Here's a list of all the major mass market car launches in 2019.Maruti

Maruti Suzuki S-Presso

The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso was launched in September and Maruti has sold 26,860 units so far.

The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso was launched in September this year and is the latest offering coming off the Heartect platform. With the S-Presso, Maruti has intended to introduce a very jacked up and SUVish hatchback with a tall boy design that goes up against the Renault Kwid Facelift. Maruti has even tried to make it a little butch giving it almost vertical A-Pillars and upright front. Well! It seems that experiment is paying off pretty well as just in three months of its launch, Maruti has sold 26,860 units of the S-Presso. It gets the same 1.0-litre petrol engine from the Alto K10 hatchback which puts out 67 bhp at 5,500 rpm and 90 Nm of peak torque at 3,500 rpm. The engine is BS6 compliant and is offered with a 5-speed manual gearbox along with an AMT option as well.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki S-Presso Review

Hyundai Grand i10 Nios

The Hyundai Grand i10 Nios was launched in August and Hyundai has sold 38,820 units so far.

The Grand i10 Nios is Hyundai's answer to the Maruti Suzuki Swift. With a more premium appeal as compared to the previous car, the Grand i10 Nios has significantly upped the volumes having sold 38,820 units since its launch in August this year. It gets some segment-first features like wireless phone charging and rear air-con vents and boasts Hyundai's new family grille up front. A 1.2-litre petrol and diesel engines mated to a 5-speed manual or AMT gearbox are on offer.

Also Read: Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS Review

Kia Seltos

The Kia Seltos was launched in August and Kia has sold 40,849 units so far.

The Kia Seltos has made waves in the market since it was launched in August this year. In just four months, Kia has sold 40,849 units of the Seltos despite tough competition from models like the Hyundai Creta and MG Hector. The Seltos has marked the entry of its maker in India and its success story in such a short span is enough to tell about the package. Not only the looks, but also segment-first features like air-purifier and ventilated seats among others along with a very well executed cabin add to its premium quotient. Then there are three engines on offer and all of them come with an option of an automatic gearbox while 6-speed manual transmission is standard. The 1.5-litre petrol engine can be had with a CVT gearbox while the 1.4-litre turbocharged engine gets a dual clutch transmission (DCT). The 1.5-litre diesel comes mated to a torque convertor unit and all engines are already BS6 compliant.

Also Read: Kia Seltos Review: The New Compact SUV Benchmark

MG Hector

The MG Hector was launched in July and MG Motor has sold 12,909 units so far.

The MG Hector is also Morris Garages' (MG) first product in India which was launched in July this year and MG Motor has sold 12,909 units since its launch. The company had to stop accepting bookings for sometime as its Halol plant wasn't ready to meet the demand. The talking point about the Hector has been its connected car tech which packs in a plethora of connected features. MG offers a 1.5-litre petrol and a 2.0-litre diesel engine on the Hector. Both engines get a 6-speed manual transmission while the petrol hybrid gets an optional 7-speed dual clutch gearbox. Yes! There is also a mild-hybrid petrol iteration with a 48 volt battery and an integrated starter generator coupled with the same 1.5-litre petrol unit. The MG Hector too has rivals like the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and even the Tata Harrier.

Also Read: MG Hector First Drive Review

Hyundai Venue

The Hyundai Venue was launched in May and Hyundai has sold 60.922 units so far.

The Hyundai Venue is another model this year that has sold like hot cakes. It was launched in India in May this year and it's the Korean carmaker's first subcompact SUV. It's also India's first connected car and has become one of India's bestselling models in no time at 60,922 units, giving a tough competition to the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nenon, Ford Ecosport and the Mahindra XUV300. There are three engine options on offer in the Venue. The 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol motor churns out 118 bhp and 172 Nm of peak torque and is mated to a dual-clutch transmission while a six-speed manual is also on offer. There's also the 1.2-litre, four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol mill belting out 82 bhp and 114 Nm of peak torque, and is paired with only a 5-speed manual transmission. Lastly, the 1.4-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged diesel produces 89 bhp and 220 Nm of peak torque and is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox.

Also Read: Hyundai Venue Review

Maruti Suzuki XL6

The Maruti Suzuki XL6 was launched in August this year and Maruti has sold 12,899 units so far.

The Maruti Suzuki XL6 also deserves a mention here as at 12,899 units since its launch in August, it has sold quite well despite a limited reach of the Nexa network. The idea behind the XL6 was to bring a more upmarket offering for customers who desire a sense of premiumness and exclusivity. The XL6 has a bold appeal upfront adorning wider grille, sleeker projector headlamps and chunky claddings all around. Inside, the all-black cabin and six-seater configuration works just right for the premium claim while the feature list remains same as on the Ertiga. It gets the same 1.5-litre petrol engine as on the Ertiga which can be had with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a torque convertor automatic transmission. It rivals the likes of the Mahindra Marazzo and also the Toyota Innova Crysta which is higher in the price range.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki XL6 Review

Mahindra XUV300

The Mahindra XUV300 was launched in February and Mahindra has sold 33,581 units so far.

The Mahindra XUV300 was launched in India in February this year and has been a runaway success for the Indian carmaker since then at 33,581 units. Now those good sales numbers have shown up for a reason. For starters, the looks appeal many and then the cabin is well-finished and packs-in quite a lot of features like dual-zone climate control and steering modes that are seen only in premium models. It also gets a 1.2-litre turbo petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel engine, which is essentially a de-tuned version of the engine on the Marazzo. The diesel variant pumps out 115 bhp while peak torque is 300 Nm, which is best-in-class. The 1.2 litre, three-cylinder, turbo petrol engine develops 110 bhp and 200 Nm of peak torque. Both engine options were also launched with AMT gearbox later in this year. It rivals the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue and Ford Ecosport.

Also Read: Mahindra XUV300 First Drive Review

Tata Harrier

The Tata Harrier was launched in January and Tata Motors has sold 13,769 units so far.

The Tata Harrier was launched in India in January as well and is Tata Motors' first product based on the OMEGA platform which in-turn has taken learning from Land Rover Discovery's platform. It's Tata Motors' latest SUV in a long time and debuts its new IMPACT 2.0 design language which makes it quite a looker. It gets a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel motor, that Tata motors calls Kryotec and is essentially the detuned version of what is available in the Jeep Compass. The engine makes 138 bhp and 350 Nm of peak torque and is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. The Tata Harrier also gets three driving modes, Eco, City and Sport. Tata Motors has sold 13,769 units of the Harrier since its launch and it rivals the likes of the MG Hector, Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and Jeep Compass in the market.

Also Read: Tata Harrier SUV Review

Maruti Suzuki WagonR

The 2019 Maruti Suzuki Wagon R was launched in January and Maruti has sold 145,186 units so far.

The new Maruti Suzuki WagonR was also launched in India in the first month of this year and is underpinned by the Heartect platform as well. The third-generation WagonR has also grown in size and Maruti has recently upgraded both its engines to meet the BS6 standards. Yes! The Maruti Suzuki WagonR for the first time in history is being sold with two engine options- the 1.2-litre, four-cylinder unit alongside the existing 1.0-litre, three-cylinder motor. The 1.2-litre motor makes 82 bhp and 113 Nm of peak torque while the 1.0-litre unit makes 67 bhp and 90 Nm. Both engines are paired to a five-speed manual gearbox and surprisingly the five-speed AMT gearbox is too available right from the start. The new WagonR was also crash tested recently where it secured just two-star rating. The WagonR has always garnered strong volumes for Maruti in India and at 145,186 units it continues to contribute significantly. At present, the Hyundai Santro and Tata Tiago remain its core competitors.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Wagon R Review: The Bread Box Gets Sexier, More Capable!