Top 5 Car News Of The Week: Octavia Corporate Edition Launched, FAME-II Revealed, Hyundai Qxi Teased, Toyota Brezza & More

There was plenty of action last week to keep all of us car nuts occupied. While there was just one new launch in the form of the Skoda Octavia corporate edition, a plethora of teasers and spy pictures of the most hotly anticipated upcoming cars surfaced online. The MG Hector was spotted completely undisguised for the first time in London, giving us a better look at the new Jeep Compass rival. Similarly, Hyundai released the first teaser of the much awaited QXi sub-4m SUV. In other big news for electric vehicles, the government finally revealed the FAME-II scheme, with more clarity on incentives for hybrids and EVs. And finally, Toyota revealed the timeline for the launch of its rebadged Vitara Brezza. So here’s a quick look at all the headlines for the week gone by.

1. Skoda Launches Octavia Corporate Edition

Existing Skoda customers in India can now buy an all new base variant of the Octavia sedan called the Corporate edition. Priced at Rs 15.49 lakh for the petrol variant and Rs 16.99 lakh (both ex-showroom) for the diesel, the Corporate edition significantly undercuts the previous base variants of the Octavia. Compared to the Ambition petrol, it's cheaper by Rs 50,000. The diesel, on the other hand, undercuts the same by Rs 1 lakh. Likely to be aimed at fleet owners, the Octavia Corporate edition is powered by the same engines, and is only available in a shade of white. Here are all the details about the new variant.

2. MG Hector Spied Undisguised For The First Time

British marque MG’s first ever car in India will be the Hector and as we inch closer to the launch, the upcoming SUV has been spotted undisguised for the first time. Spotted in London during a commercial shoot, the Hector shares a majority of its design with its Chinese cousin, Baojun 530.
Dubbed as the first truly connected mid-size SUV in the country, the Hector, will boast of a lot of segment first features when it is launched around June this year. Meanwhile, read more about the Jeep compass rival here.

3. Hyundai QXi Teased; New Brezza Rival Coming Soon

Hyundai’s first sub-four metre SUV in India (codenamed the QXi) looks all set for launch, and the carmaker has given us its first glimpses in a teaser video. With a mini Creta like design, the QXi is probably among the most awaited cars from the Korean manufacturer in recent times and could be launched here by May 2019. While the test mule was heavily camouflaged, we did manage to spot some of the key design elements of the QXi, which you can read about here.

4. Toyota-badged Vitara Brezza Launch in 2022

If you did not already know, Toyota and Suzuki are working together to re-badge their cars in India. Among the Suzuki cars that you can see with a Toyota badge will be the Vitara Brezza. And now the Japanese carmaker has announced that Toyota’s first sub-four metre SUV in India will be launched by 2022. Likely to be based on the second-generation Brezza, the SUV will be manufactured at Toyota’s Bengaluru plant. The vehicle sharing deal between the two caramakers also includes other Marutis like Ciaz, Baleno and the Ertiga. Meanwhile Toyota will share the upcoming Corolla Altis, to be sold with a Maruti badge in India.

5. Govt’s FAME-II Scheme Revealed

Sales of hybrids and electric cars could get a much needed boost in India, with the government announcing the second phase of its Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India (FAME) scheme. Slated to come into effect from April 1, 2019, the new scheme will help promote electric mobility in the country by setting up 2,700 new charging stations in India, along with incentivising EVs, hybrids, electric two-wheelers and e-rickshaws. Here are the complete details including incentives for EVs and hybrids under the new scheme.