Year Ender 2020: A Throwback At Some Of Top Car Launches In India

Several carmakers, ditching the market restrain, bounced back with some magnetic new launches, makeover version and much more. Let's have a look!

New Delhi: The year 2020 appeared to be annus horribilis for India automobile sector which braced for a difficult year even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Automobile turned out to be one of the worst-hit sectors reeling on the back of an unprecedented Coronavirus outbreak that stalled country's overall economic activities. The grim picture of sales downtrend in the auto segment has been reflected in most of the third quarter results declared by the automobile companies so far. As soon as the Coronavirus induced lockdown was lifted by the Central government in phased manner, automobile retail sales spiked significantly riding on the back of October-November festive season. However, sales remained in the red on a year-on-year basis. Several carmakers, ditching the market restrain, bounced back with some magnetic new launches, makeover version and much more. Let's have a look at major car launches in India in 2020. Here are the top car launches of 2020: Kia Sonnet Price- Rs 6.71 lakhs to Rs 12.99 lakhs The Korean carmaker made its debut last year with the launch of mid-size Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) Seltos. The sonnet was launched in September this year and became the bestselling model in just three months. The car is powered by three different engines, which include 1.2 Litre naturally-aspirated Smartstream Petrol engine, 1.0-litre turbocharged T-GDI petrol, and the 1.5-litre diesel engine. The car offers first-in-segment features like ventilated seats, a Bose sound system, and air purifier. Nissan Magnite Price- Rs 4.99 lakhs to Rs 9.59 lakhs Launched in December, the subcompact SUV garnered more than 5000 bookings in just five days of the launch. Magnite is offered in four trim levels- XE, XL, XV and XV Premium and with two engine options. 1.0-litre naturally aspirated motor which makes around 71 BHP and then there is the 1.0-litre turbo petrol unit which makes 99 BHP. Even though the car is priced low, the automatic gearbox comes with CVT grade transmission instead of low budget AMT. The car comes with a 7-inch TFT display screen for the instrument cluster and 360 degree camera which is a first in segment feature. Toyota Urban Cruiser Price- Rs 8.40 lakhs to Rs 11.30 lakhs Urban Cruiser which is a rebadged version of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Breeza, was launched in February earlier this year. The car comes with 1.5-litre, four-cylinder K-Series engine which is coupled with an electric motor featuring the Smart Hybrid technology. It is the only hybrid vehicle in its class and the dual battery system helps to deliver an impressive fuel economy of 18.76 kmpl for automatic and 17.03kmpl for the manual.  The car comes with an optional hill assist mode, LED headlamps with Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs), and torque converter for automatic variants. Hyundai Creta 2020 Price- Rs 9.82 lakhs to Rs 17.32 lakhs Hyundai launched the Creta 2020 in March, after making some major changes to one of the bestselling SUV. The new Creta is offered in three engine options - a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated petrol, 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol, and a 1.5-litre diesel engine. In the 2020 variant Creta is offered with features like Panoramic sunroof, front ventilated seats, 10.25-inch infotainment system, and air purifier. Honda City 2020 Price- Rs 10.80 lakh to Rs 14.65 lakhs One of the most desired sedans in the country was launched in a completely new avatar in October this year. The car comes in three trims V, VX, and ZX and is offered in two engine options 1.5 litre petrol and 1.5 litre diesel, in both manual and automatic transmission. The fifth-gen City gets LED units for the headlamps, DRLs as well as tail lamps. It comes with new 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Weblink support, and ambient lighting. Honda also offers the fifth-gen City with Amazon Alexa remote control and connected car technology that allows remote engine start and door lock-unlock, among other things. Mahindra Thar 2020 Price- Rs 9.80 lakhs to Rs 13.75 lakhs Launched in October, the SUV has evolved very much from its predecessors and has bagged more than 20,000 bookings in just a month after launch. The powertrain options on the Thar include a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine and a 2.2-litre diesel motor. Both are mated either with a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed torque converter automatic unit. Offered in two trims - the off-road-focused AX series, and the more lifestyle-oriented LX series. The new Thar comes loaded with features like power windows and a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system that supports navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Toyota Innova Crysta Facelift 2020 Price- Rs 16.26 lakhs to Rs 24.33 lakhs Innova Crysta was first launched in 2016, Toyota in November this year launched the facelift version of the bestselling MPV in India. The car comes with a 2.8 litre petrol engine and 2.4 litre diesel engine. Offered in three trims GX, VX and ZX. The new facelift model comes with features like new 8-inch touchscreen infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The facelift model sports a redesigned all-black grille with chrome surround, a sharper front bumper with front parking sensors, and dual-tone diamond-cut alloy wheels. Morris Garages Gloster Price- Rs 29.98 lakh to Rs 35.58 lakh. MG launched the second SUV after Hector in October, to compete with rivals like Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavor. The car is offered in two engine options- a 2.0-litre turbo diesel with 163PS and 375Nm, and a 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel unit making 218PS and 480Nm. Both variants come mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. The car is loaded with features like i-Smart 2.0 connected car tech, a 12.3-inch touch screen infotainment system, a 12-speaker audio system, an 8-inch multi-info display, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), 64 colors ambient lighting, and wireless charging.