Big shoutout to Eddy for shooting these pictures & his coverage of the Auto Expo. Thanks for sharing, man!

Apart from the new launches, there was a lot on display at the Toyota stall. Check out the detailed report here.

Big shoutout to khan_sultan for shooting these pictures & his coverage of the Auto Expo. Thanks for sharing, man!

Hyundai has showcased two models from its Ioniq range at the 2018 Auto Expo. The Ioniq Hybrid and Ioniq Electric have been put on display at the Hyundai pavilion. More details about the Ioniq here. 

Big shoutout to khan_sultan for shooting these pictures & his coverage of the Auto Expo. Thanks for sharing, man!

Hyundai has showcased the Kona Iron Man Edition at the 2018 Auto Expo. More on the concept SUV here.

Big shoutout to .anshuman for shooting these pictures & his coverage of the Auto Expo. Thanks for sharing, man!

Kia Motors is aiming to start retail operations in India by the second half of 2019. The first car from their stable to go on sale in the Indian market will be an SUV based on the SP Concept. 

Big shoutout to Vid6639 for shooting these pictures & his coverage of the Auto Expo. Thanks for sharing, man!

The Maruti Suzuki pavilion is built around the theme of "Transformotion" and spreads over an area of 4,200 sq mt. It has over 18 vehicle models on display in Arena, Nexa and Motorsports zones.

Full coverage of the Maruti Pavilion at this link.

Thanks to Autosite India for bringing it to our attention.

Toyota will be unveiling its new car at the 2018 Auto Expo. Going by the image displayed on the official website, the car will most likely be the Yaris Ativ sedan. The website also has a countdown timer indicating that the car will be unveiled on February 7, 2018. It will then be put on display at stall no. 10 of the Auto Expo from February 9-14, 2018.

The teaser image shows the Yaris Ativ in side profile. The car has a coupe-like roofline, multi-spoke alloy wheels and chrome door handles. Going by the recent spy images of the Yaris Ativ, the car gets sweptback headlamps with LED DRLs placed on the front bumper and silver trim around the fog lamp pods. It has ORVMs with integrated turn signals while the rear features wraparound tail lights. It gets dual-tone interiors finished in beige and black. The centre console houses a touchscreen infotainment system and has silver trim around it. The car comes with a three-spoke steering wheel.

According to media reports, Toyota will offer the Singapore-spec Vios in India, badged as the Yaris Ativ. The car is likely to be powered by a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine. Toyota hasn't disclosed the technical specifications of the car, but it has been reported that the engine makes 105 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and a peak torque of 140 Nm @ 4,200 rpm. It is likely to be offered with a 5-speed manual transmission or a 7-speed CVT. There is no word about a diesel version though.

Mahindra will reportedly showcase a new convertible SUV concept at the 2018 Auto Expo. According to a media report, it will be built on the TUV300's ladder-frame chassis and is likely to be less than 4 meters in length.

Although Mahindra hasn't disclosed any information about the powertrain, it is believed that the convertible SUV might feature a 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder mHawk100 diesel engine. In the TUV300, this engine makes 100 BHP @ 3,750 rpm and a peak torque of 240 Nm @ 1,600-2800 rpm. The engine comes paired with either a 5-speed manual or 5-speed AMT.

In the past, brands like Nissan and Land Rover have showcased convertible SUVs. Nissan built a drop-top Murano while Land Rover chopped the roof of the Evoque to create a high-riding convertible SUV. Both these cars have received a mixed reaction in the international markets. Hence, it will be interesting to see how Indians react to this concept.

Source: Autocar India

Kia Motors India is gearing up to unveil its SP Concept SUV at the 2018 Auto Expo. In addition to the concept car, Kia will also showcase 16 other models from its global line up including electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. The Kia Stinger sports sedan will also be on display at this year's event.

Rumours suggest that Kia's first product in India will be a mid-size SUV. The SP Concept is perhaps a preview of the model lined up for the Indian market. The teaser images indicate that the Kia SP Concept will have an upright stance with sweptback headlights in the front and a dual-tone roof with integrated roof rails along with blacked-out A, B and C-pillars. The rear features a short windshield with a spoiler on top. A chrome garnish runs across the tailgate and is placed above the wraparound tail lights. The SP Concept is likely to feature Kia's 'tiger-nose' grille and large, 5-spoke alloy wheels finished in chrome.

Meanwhile, Kia is planning to invest Rs. 12,750 crore in India over the next 2 years. Construction of its manufacturing facility in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh is already underway. Production at the new assembly unit is expected to commence in 2019. The carmaker plans to launch at least three models in the Indian market by 2022. This is likely to include a locally built mid-size SUV in addition to a hatchback and a sedan.

Maruti Suzuki has announced its plans for the 2018 Auto Expo. The company's pavilion will be spread over an area of 4,200 square metres. It will have over 18 vehicle models on display in Arena, Nexa and Motorsports zones. While the new Swift is likely to be the main attraction, the carmaker also plans to unveil two concept cars in addition to a working model of Suzuki's hybrid system (HEV).

Maruti will launch the third-generation Swift at the 2018 Auto Expo. The car was recently unveiled and pre-bookings are already open.

Maruti will reveal the Concept Future S - a sub-4 metre SUV, which has been designed in-house and is likely to be positioned below the Vitara Brezza. A teaser image released by the company suggests that the vehicle will have slim, twin-pod headlights with LED DRLs, a narrow grille connecting the two headlamp clusters and a large 'S' logo below the grille. An earlier image had revealed the car's side profile. It suggested that the Concept Future S has an upright stance with a thick C-pillar and a raked rear windshield. Media reports suggest that the car will be 200 mm shorter in length compared to the Brezza.

The company also plans to show the e-SURVIVOR concept EV - a 4WD electric car based on Suzuki's F.A.C.E. (Four-Wheel Drive, Autonomous, Connected & Electric) philosophy. 

A working model of the Suzuki Hybrid system (HEV) will be put on display as well. It has a pure electric drive mode. It currently powers the Swift Hybrid and the Suzuki Solio, which is sold in Japan.

A few days back the Toyota Yaris Ativ / Vios sedan was spotted in Bangalore. Now, a media report suggests that the car is set to be unveiled at the upcoming 2018 Auto Expo and it could be formally launched sometime in 2018.

The Toyota Yaris Ativ is currently sold in various South East Asian countries. In Singapore, the car is sold under the Vios badge. The report suggests that we will get the Singapore-spec Vios here in India. 

In Singapore, the Toyota Vios is offered in two variants - E and G. The overall length of the Vios is 4,425 mm and it measures 1,730 mm in width and has a height of 1,475 mm. It has a wheelbase of 2,550 mm and the ground clearance 133 mm while the fuel tank capacity is 42 litres. 

The Vios' front fascia is similar to the Corolla Altis. It features large sweptback headlamps with projector lamps and the Toyota logo in the centre. The front bumper has a large V-shaped air dam with fog lamp pods on either side. The rear features wraparound tail lights while the rear bumper comes with integrated reflectors. On the inside, it has a three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel and a 3-pod instrument cluster. The centre console has silver trim around it and houses a touchscreen infotainment system and the climate control module.

The Singapore-spec Vios is powered by a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, petrol engine that produces 105 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and 140 Nm of peak torque @ 4,200 rpm. The same engine will reportedly be offered in India and is likely to be paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 7-speed CVT. Toyota has no plans to launch a diesel version for now.

The Toyota Yaris Ativ / Vios sedan will compete with the Honda City, Maruti Ciaz, Volkswagen Vento and the likes. That said, Toyota is yet to confirm the Vios for India. 

Source: Autocar India