Diwali 2018- Top 5 Cars Launched In India During Festival

It's the festive season that automakers wait for all year long because they know that it's that time of the year when the volumes are going to go up and car buying decisions are going to be zeroed down upon. It is because of this reason that you see a flood of launches in the country just ahead of the festive season and this time around it was no different. There were new models, and facelifts, all of which were launched to give the customers a choice and the cars launched spanned a whole bunch of segments, making things interesting in the automotive market in the country. Here's our list of the Top 5 cars that were launched this festive season.

* 2018 Hyundai Santro

The 2018 Hyundai Santro was the most anticipated of launches of the year. There is a lot riding on the shoulders of the new model as there's a lot that has gone into its development. The company has invested over ₹ 700 crores in three years to develop the car. It's based on a new K1 platform which Hyundai says is 63 per cent more rigid than the previous one. The design of the new Hyundai Santro is not something radical but definitely fresh and in-line with Hyundai's family. Though Hyundai claims the Santro to be a tall boy, its 30 mm shorter than its predecessor. Inside it gets an upmarket cabin which has a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a rear A/C vent which is first in segment. The New Hyundai Santro gets five variants- D-Lite, Era, Magna, Sportz and the top of the line Asta and also gets the option of a CNG along with the petrol. The Hyundai Santro is powered by a 1.1-litre, 4-cylinder, naturally aspirated engine, which makes 69 bhp of peak power and 99 Nm of peak torque when powered by petrol. The petrol engine is mated to a 5-speed manual or a new 5-speed AMT gearbox that has been developed by Hyundai in-house.

* Ford Aspire Facelift

The 2018 Ford Aspire facelift has been launched in India at a starting price of ₹ 5.55 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The company has made changes to the design of the car and it gets a new honeycomb mesh grille and new front bumper with handlebar moustache design on the sides. The 2018 Ford Aspire, like the pre-facelift model, will come with two petrol and one diesel engine option. Both the petrol engines are from the new dragon series - the 1.2-litre three-cylinder unit that was introduced with the Freestyle, and the 1.5-litre three-cylinder unit that was introduced with the EcoSport facelift. The former makes about 95 bhp and develops 120 Nm of peak torque, while the bigger 1.5-litre petrol unit offers 123 bhp and 150 Nm of torque. The 1.2-litre unit comes with a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard, while the latter comes equipped with the 6-speed torque converter. There's also the 99 bhp churning tried and tested diesel engine on offer and sadly there's no automatic on offer on the diesel. On the inside, the 2018 Ford Aspire hasn't received many changes but gets the new 6.5-inch floating touchscreen seen on the Ford Ecosport and Ford Freestyle. In addition to the latest SYNC 3 Microsoft command system, the new Aspire also gets me Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

* Tata Tigor Facelift

Tata Motors has launched the Tigor facelift just over a year after it was first launched in India. The 2018 Tata Tigor facelift is priced at ₹ 5.20 lakh for the base petrol, going up to ₹ 7.38 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom Delhi) for the range-topping diesel. In terms of design, there have been subtle cosmetic updates like the new double barrel headlamps with chrome inserts, a tweaked front bumper and new LED taillamps. Engine options on the Tigor facelift remain the same with the 1.2-litre Revotron petrol that produces 84 bhp at 6000 rpm and 114 Nm of peak torque at 3500 rpm. There's also the 1.05-litre Revotorq diesel that churns out 69 bhp at 4000 rpm and 140 Nm of peak torque available between 1800-3000 rpm. The engines are paired with a 5-speed manual transmission as standard, while an AMT is available on the petrol version.

* Honda CR-V

The fifth generation Honda CR-V was launched in India at a price of ₹ 28.15 lakh, while the diesel 2WD model is priced at ₹ 30.65 lakh and the fully loaded top-spec diesel variant costs ₹ 32.75 lakh (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi). This is the first time that Honda is offering the CR-V with a diesel engine and in seven-seat configuration. The diesel Honda CR-V gets an all-new 1.6-litre Earth Dreams engine which makes about 118 bhp at 4,000 rpm and 300 Nm of peak torque at 2,000 rpm. The engine is mated to a new 9-speed automatic transmission which. The petrol engine is a 2.0-litre unit that makes 151 bhp at 6,500 rpm and peak torque of 189 Nm at 4,300 rpm mated to a CVT gearbox. The diesel engine model will have all-wheel drive as an option but the petrol engine model will only have front wheel drive.

* Datsun Go and Go+

The updated Datsun GO has been launched in India and has been priced at ₹ 3.29 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The updated Datsun Go gets some cosmetic updates like a new grille; new bumper that sports LED daytime running lights. On the inside there is a new dashboard and the updated model gets a new infotainment touchscreen that has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Mechanically, there hasn't been any change. It is still powered by a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that is capable of churning out 67 bhp and develops 104 Nm of peak torque. The difference between the Datsun Go and Go+ remains the same. The Go+ is longer and has seven seats. The changes made to the face are similar to the Go and mechanically too the Go+ is relatable. It is powered by a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that is capable of churning out 67 bhp and develops 104 Nm of peak torque.