Tata Motors, India’s leading automotive brand, today commenced the bookings of the ALTROZ DCA – The Dual Clutch Automatic version of India’s premium and safest hatchback. The Altroz DCA is an advanced Dual Clutch Technology that is designed for the Indian consumer. It comes with a wet clutch transmission, which ensures the best performance for all Indian driving conditions. The new ALTROZ DCA will set the Gold Standard in the world of automatics and offer a seamless drive experience to customers. Starting today, customers can book their ALTROZ DCA at all the authorized Tata Motors dealerships at just INR 21,000

The ALTROZ DCA will be introduced in a brand new colour – the New Opera Blue and will be available in the top three variants - XT, XZ and XZ+ of 1.2L Revotron petrol engine. In addition to the new Opera Blue, the ALTROZ DCA would also be part of the #Dark range other than being available in Downtown Red, Arcade Grey, Avenue White and Harbour Blue colour.

Commenting on this much awaited product, Mr. Rajan Amba, Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Customer Care, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd. said, “India’s safest hatchback, the ALTROZ, has carved a niche for itself in the premium hatch segment with more than 1.25 lakh happy customers. Taking our success story further, we wanted to delight our customers by introducing a world-class automatic transmission to the line-up in the form of the ALTROZ DCA. We are confident that the ALTROZ DCA will set ‘Gold Standard’ in automatics and will match the evolving preference of our customers. Our customers can visit their nearest Tata Motors dealerships to know more about the product and book the all-new ALTROZ DCA. I am confident that the ALTROZ DCA, when launched, will instantaneously witness an overwhelming response and help us expand our customer base.”

Since its launch in January 2020, the ALTROZ has received an overwhelming response and is appreciated by the customers for its laser-cut design, best-in-class safety, and exhilarating performance. Being the first vehicle on the ALFA (Agile Light Flexible Advanced) architecture, the ALTROZ has always set #TheGoldStandard in the premium hatchback segment. Altroz comes with many premium features such as leatherette seats, 7”touchscreen infotainment by Harman, rear ac vents, cruise control, auto headlamps, iRA connected car technology and many more.

But what about hatchbacks? Well, they’re still in demand too and we think they still would be in the near future. After all, small, affordable and peppy cars are always good in have in congested cities. Speaking of small cars, the Kia Picanto has made quite a name since its launch a few years ago. Also known as ‘ Kia Morning’ in many countries, the Picanto is available in three engine options, funky colours and a few of the so called attractive features.

Based on the Hyundai i10 platform internationally, the Picanto is quite similar in size to that of the

The front end gets a new chrome ‘Tiger Nose’ grille, LED projector headlamps, a redesigned bumper with a new place for the fog lights and bigger air dams. Overall, we think Kia has tried to make the Picanto look a bit aggressive but the front actually looks like there’s too much happening there all at the same time. A bit cramped of sorts.

The rear and sides too don’t miss out on the 2020 updates. The rear bumper gets a diffuser, taillights are now LED and the alloy wheels get a new design. Yes, we know, it looks like it has fake exhausts. The look at the back is opposite from what’s happening in the front. There’s lots of space the designers could fill stuff in. Or not, perhaps.

Speaking of the interior, most things looked the same as the earlier models except for a few additions that would make it a highly attractive package in India. A large eight- inch touch screen Infotainment System with UVO connectivity suite, automatic AC, push button start- stop, an electric sunroof, ventilated front seats and a semi digital instrument panel with a 4.2 inch multi- information display. As keen drivers, we liked the electric sunroof bit the most.

Speaking of the heart of the matter, the Kia Picanto comes with three engine options- a 1.0 litre three cylinder naturally aspirated engine churning out 75 bhp and 95NM of torque, a four cylinder 1.2 litre engine making around 85 bhp and lastly, a 1.0 litre three cylinder turbo petrol engine producing 99 bhp. That’s a lot of choice for a small car! The three cylinder motors however get only a 5 speed manual gearbox whereas the four cylinder motor gets the option of a 4- speed automatic.

Safety too isn’t compromised. It has what most modern small hatchbacks come with- seven airbags, ABS, EBD, reverse parking assist, and many other features which we may not see in India even if the car is launched soon. The seven airbags option is also a great start in terms of safety for a small car like the Picanto and we do hope to see it if at all the car is launched in India.

Speaking of the Kia Picanto launch in India, Kia has expressed that it isn’t keen on entering the hatchback segment in India yet, especially when it is currently focussing on bringing the compact SUV Kia Sonet into India soon. But with times changing quickly, you may see the Picanto on Indian roads sooner than expected. Or, maybe not so soon. Well, only time will tell in case you’ve been waiting for this hatchback.

Hyundai is readying a brand new super-compact, micro SUV/crossover based on the Grand i10 Nios platform. Going by the latest spy images from abroad, this new micro SUV, codenamed the Hyundai AX1 is likely to feature quirky and unique styling with headlamps positioned lower on the front bumper and the LED DRLs with turn indicators mounted on top.

The overall profile is quite upright with a steeply raked windshield and a boxy silhouette. The rear door handles are likely to be positioned on the C-pillars and the new car is expected to feature 16” alloy wheels.

The new Hyundai AX1 could be powered either by the 1.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine from the Santro or the 1.2L Kappa petrol from the Grand i10 Nios. The 1.0L turbocharged petrol unit from the Nios/Aura Turbo can also be expected. Transmission options could include a 5 speed Manual as standard with the 1.2L petrol receiving a CVT automatic too.

The Hyundai AX1 is being developed for India along with other South-East Asian markets. In India, the new micro SUV could compete with the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso, the upcoming Tata HBX and the Mahindra KUV100.