Top Car News Of The Week: A Week Full Of Exclusives!

Last week had us abuzz with exciting new developments in car safety in India. Carmakers and the government alike are pushing for more safety features in cars, and an important launch early in the week resonated with this new change. Here’s our handpicked array of all the news that mattered from last week. 

EXCLUSIVE Maruti Suzuki Baleno News: 

Let’s keep it simple – browse through the incredible amount of exclusive Baleno news our car news team managed to break this week by clicking the links below:

• 2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno Image Gallery: All Details Covered In 10 Images

• Facelifted Maruti Suzuki Baleno To Launch On February 23 

• EXCLUSIVE: Facelifted 2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno To Come In Six Exterior Colour Options

• EXCLUSIVE: Facelifted Maruti Suzuki Baleno’s Fuel Efficiency Figures Leaked 

• Is This The Facelifted Toyota Glanza? 

Kia Carens Goes On Sale: 

Korean carmaker Kia pleasantly surprised us with its people mover’s pricing at its official launch this week. The Carens offers six airbags right from the base variant, and features such as a tyre pressure monitoring system, ESC, ISOFIX child seat mounts and adjustable headrests are standard. Head to our Kia Carens launch story to find out more about its comprehensive equipment list and variant-wise prices.

BMW X3 Diesel Launched: 

Last month, the BMW X3 went on sale with a 2-litre petrol engine, and now the carmaker has reintroduced the diesel engine to its luxury SUV. The 2-litre oil burner produces 190PS and comes paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. You can find out more about the BMW X3 diesel and its prices in our launch story. 

Global NCAP Comes To India: 

The vehicle safety organisation Global NCAP could soon start testing cars on our shores. We expect the first crash tests in late 2023, and it’s likely to drive up the number of India-specific models that are available with safety ratings. GNCAP recently announced the ratings of four Indian-market cars: the Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger, Honda City and Jazz. 

Jeep Meridian Name Announced: 

Jeep has christened its upcoming seven-seater SUV the ‘Meridian.’ It’s a Skoda Kodiaq rival based on the underpinnings of the Compass that’s expected to be powered by 2-litre turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. You’ll have to wait until mid-2022 for the official reveal, but you can see it in action in the teaser linked above. 

Volkswagen Virtus Unveil In March: 

VW has announced that it’ll give us our first glimpse of its upcoming Virtus sedan on March 8. The new sedan is based on the localised MQB A0 IN platform that also underpins the Skoda Kushaq and upcoming Slavia. It’s been a while since we saw a new family sedan from Volkswagen India, and the Virtus promises to be a feature-packed and powerful rival to sedans such as the Honda City.  

Tata SUVs To Get Kaziranga Editions: 

Tata will soon introduce a new Kaziranga Edition variant of the Punch and other SUV models. It’s a homage to the endangered Indian rhinoceros – the last of which survive in the Kaziranga national park in Assam. The Tata Nexon, Harrier and Safari SUVs will also get Kaziranga Editions. 

International News Highlights:

Two new models launched in global markets caught our attention. The Macan SUV became the first Porsche SUV to gain a Touring variant, and it turns the compact luxury SUV’s sportiness up a few notches with improved handling. 

On the electric vehicle (EV) front, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the AMG EQE performance electric sedan. It gets standard dual-motor all-wheel-drive, and rear steering, and enough power (up to 687PS) to jump to 100kmph in just 3.3 seconds. If launched, it’ll be a worthy rival to the upcoming BMW i4 and Tesla Model 3’s performance-oriented variants.