AutoQ is our weekly round-up of automotive stories.
1. Maruti Suzuki XL6 Launched: Is It an Ertiga in New Clothes?
What do you do when sales are down and buyers are not picking up cars? Well, launch new ones and cross your fingers in the hope that they get excited.
Maruti Suzuki has just launched XL6 MPV, under the Nexa brand, targeting buyers looking for a premium six-seater MPV.
Prices for the Maruti Suzuki XL6 start at Rs 9.79 lakh and go up to Rs 11.46 lakh. It comes in four variants in two trims: Zeta and Alpha. Both have options of a four-speed automatic or a five-speed manual transmission.
It is available only with a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine with a smart hybrid (starter-generator) system.
Read the story here.
3. Kia Seltos Launch Prices Revealed, Variants Explained
Kia Motors India has launched its first SUV, the Kia Seltos. The Kia Seltos comes in 16 variants, in two trim lines, with three different engine options and four transmission choices. Basically, Kia is trying to ensure there is a Seltos model for every kind of buyer.
The price of the Kia Seltos starts at Rs 9.69 lakh, going up to Rs 15.99 lakh for the top-spec version. Kia claims it has already got 32,000 bookings for the Seltos.
It has an annual production capacity of 300,000 vehicles so it claims it can meet the demand. It already has 5,000 vehicles ready for delivery.
The Kia Seltos competes with the Hyundai Creta, MG Hector and Jeep Compass among five-seat mid-size SUVs. With its feature list, it will also draw some buyers away from the Mahindra XUV500 and Tata Harrier too, if size isn’t a priority.
Read the story here to know the prices of all variants.
4. No Deadline for Auto Makers to Go Electric, Says Indian Govt
The Centre has not set any deadline for the transition to electric vehicles, as highlighted by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, on Wednesday.
The comment assumes significance as the government think tank Niti Aayog, in June, had asked conventional two- and three-wheeler makers to suggest, within two weeks, concrete steps for the transition to electric mobility, keeping in mind the 2025 deadline.
Replying to a related question, Gadkari has said, “There is no such deadline.”
Niti Aayog has suggested transition to full electric vehicles (EVs) for three-wheelers by 2023 and two-wheelers with an engine capacity of less than 150cc by 2025.
Read the story here.
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