New Mahindra products for 2015, Maruti Ertiga facelift, Honda new cars, Car price hike, Mercedes CLA launch in India - IAB Retrospect

It's the first edition of IAB Retrospect in 2015, because of which you'll find a number of articles regarding upcoming cars, most of which are expected to launch this year. Here's the first installment of the two-part series.

Click on the images to read the corresponding story in detail.

1. Seven new Mahindra products for 2015:

Mahindra is expected to launch seven new products this year. The list includes two compact SUVs: the S101 and the U301 (Bolero replacement). The compact SUV segment will also benefit from the upcoming Quanto with an AMT (likely to be called Autoshift). Moving up the range, and the Scorpio will receive an automatic variant, while the flagship XUV500 will also get an automatic gearbox and model year updates. The Verito EV (electric) sedan and a new LCV (codenamed P601) are also expected.

2. Maruti Ertiga facelift rendering:

Maruti Suzuki will give its MPV, the Ertiga, an update. While mechanically it's expected to remain the same (apart from a slight increase in fuel economy, like in the case of the Swift), the actual change would be on the cosmetic front. The MPV will also get new features.

3. Honda cars in 2015:

Keeping up with the success that Honda achieved in 2014, the car maker is in no mood to slow down in 2015. The hugely awaited Jazz, possible CNG variants of City and Amaze, model year
updates for Brio and Amaze, a new Accord, and the facelifted version of CR-V complete the list.

4. Excise duty roll back to cause an increase in car prices:

The excise benefits from March last year are announced to be rolled back, which means car prices are bound to increase. For a midsize sedan, there could be an increase of up to Rs 50,000, which includes the added duty and the increase from the manufacturer's side.

5. Mercedes Benz CLA to launch on January 22:

Mercedes Benz India will launch its Audi A3 Sedan-competitor on January 22. Based on Mercedes's Front-wheel drive Architecture (MFA), the CLA sedan will be positioned above the A Class, and could share engines with the GLA compact crossover: a 2-litre turbocharged petrol and a 2.2-litre diesel.