5 New 7 seater SUV launching in India : Safari Facelift to New GLS
May 18th, 2023
People's crave for SUVs is increasing day by day. And why it wouldn't as it has become a need for the Indians to have an SUV in their garage with respect to current road and climatic behaviour. Therefore, it has become a must for the car makers to use this situation as an opportunity. A lot of carmakers have already started teasing and few have even showcased their future SUV plans for India. In this article, you will get to read some interesting comings from the various carmakers ranging from Tata to Mahindra.
Let's start with -
Mercedes-Benz GLS
Mercedes has always been the peak automotive brand known for its luxury and comfort for many years and has recently revealed an updated version of the GLS SUV for 2023, with slight tweaks, better equipment and software updates.
The most recent changes introduced in the GLS are in its equipment list, with features like an electric panoramic sunroof, adaptive high beam lights, Burmester sound system and heated cupholders as standard. New choices of paint are also included in the update with Sodalite blue Metallic and Manufaktur Alpine Grey Non-Metallic.
In the powertrain, Mercedes offers four engines:
3.0L 6 cylinder petrol engine - 380hp (GLS 450)
4.0L V8 petrol engine - 517 hp (GLS 580)
3.0L 6cylinder diesel engine - 312hp (GLS 350d)
3.0L 6 cylinder diesel engine - 367hp (GLS 450d)
The Maybach version of the GLS gets a 6 L Petrol V8 with 557 hp whereas the AMG GLS 63 variant gets a 633 hp with mild hybrid technology.
India bound Mercedes-Benz GLS is closer to its launch which will most likely take place at the end of this year.
Tata Harrier Facelift / Tata Safari Facelift
The much awaited facelifts of Tata’s icons, The Harrier and Safari, is going to be launched in the month of October of this year with its production starting in September 2023. It gets a fresh exterior and interior upgrade along with powertrain and technical features as well.
Both the facelifts will continue to be powered by their 2.0L turbo-diesel engine which produces 170 hp and 350 Nm of torque mated with a 6-speed manual or automatic gearbox. These SUVs will also feature Tata’s new 1.5L four cylinder turbo petrol engine as well which produces 170 hp and 280 Nm of torque. These Petrol engine was unveiled by Tata in the AUTO EXPO 2023 which took place in Delhi. Both the SUV’s are RDE compliant and follow BS6 phase 2 norms.
Tata is building their Harrier and Safari facelifts in their Omega Factory, Pimpri plant from September 2023 and the market launch is expected to take place end phase of 2023.
Nissan X-Trail
X-Trail, Nissan's premium luxury SUV is set to launch in India in mid-2023 and will likely compete with the New Toyota Fortuner.
The SUV will be based on Renault-Nissan’s CMF-C platform which will be provided with two powertrain options, with first one being the 1.5L turbo-petrol engine with mild hybrid tech capable of producing 163 hp and 300 Nm of torque and the second being the 1.5L petrol with strong hybrid tech which will deliver around 204 hp and 300 Nm of torque in its 2WD version and 213 hp with 525 Nm in the AWD version.
The SUV will be introduced with ADAS ( Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), a 12.3 inch touchscreen infotainment system and 10.8-inch Heads-Up Display with three zone climate control, electronic parking brake and LED headlamp as well.
It will be placed as Nissan's flagship product. It is most likely to be sold in India via CBU/CKD unit.
The New Toyota Fortuner
Toyota being the face of reliability and comfort has come up with the new version of its already established Fortuner, which is going to debut around the end of this year and is expected to launch in India by sometime in 2024.
The all-new Fortuner will sit on the TNGA-F platform and will discontinue its existing IMV platform. In terms of its powertrain the Fortuner might feature the 1GD-FTV 2.8L diesel with mild hybrid tech which will make the SUV more fuel efficient than before.
In terms of features and tech the Fortuner will feature ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) suite, vehicle stability control (VSC) and an electric steering wheel.
The new Fortuner update might finally make the SUV feel 'value for money', as its current generation is highly overpriced and lacks a lot of key and premium features it had to offer.
READ ALSO: Maruti Suzuki Invicto: Huge Discounts on This 7-Seater MPV!
CONCLUSION
So, these are some SUVs which think might get launched this year. There were many more SUVs but, they didn't have convincing chances of launching in India this year.