Unlike previous years, the year 2015 saw some cars taking their segments by storm. Some made new segments altogether, while others made headlines by reaching the numero uno position in their segment within months of their launch. In the process, these cars also made headlines for the bookings. While bookings of over 50,000 units is a big deal, some new cars crossed the magic figure of 1 lakh, and show no signs of slowing down. Here is a list of such car:
Renault Kwid
The Kwid was the talk of the industry before its launch for its pseudo-SUV look despite being a hatchback. The French company opened the niche segment and struck gold with the Kwid. The small car was launched Sept. 24, 2015, and the company had received over 50,000 bookings by November-beginning. Renault India MD & CEO Sumit Sawhney announced at Auto Expo 2016 in early February the Kwid's bookings had crossed the 1-lakh mark. At present, the Kwid has over 1.05 lakh bookings and the company has started a third shift in its Chennai plant primarily to increase its output.
The current model of the Kwid draws power from a 799cc three-cylinder petrol motor, which can churn out 53.2bhp at 5,678 rpm and a peak torque of 72Nm. The Kwid, which comes with many segment-first features such as 180mm ground clearance and a 4.1-inch touch-screen infotainment system, is also the first car to be built on the CMF-A platform. It offers the best-in-class mileage of 25.17kmpl.
Hyundai Creta
Hyundai Creta's performance can be summed like this: It came, it saw and it conquered. The Korean company figured out the potential of the affordable SUV segment in India in early 2015, and the Creta entered to market July 23, 2015. It passed the milestone of 1 lakh bookings in eight months. Until now, the company has delivered 56,000 units of the SUV in the country. To reduce the waiting period, Hyundai recently increased the Creta's production by 30 percent, to a total production capacity of 13,000 units.
The Creta is offered in both petrol and diesel engine options in the country. While the Creta's 1.6-litre VTVT petrol engine can churn out 121bhp and 151Nm of torque, the 1.6-litre CRDI diesel engine is tuned to pump out 126bhp of power and 260Nm of torque. The entire engine portfolio is mated to six-speed manual transmission, while the 1.6-litre CRDi is also available with six-speed automatic transmission.
Maruti Suzuki Baleno
Maruti Suzuki's latest premium hatchback, the Baleno, was launched in Oct. 26, 2015. Four months after the launch, it made headlines earlier this month with bookings of over 1 lakh. Towards the end of January, Maruti Suzuki received over 70,000 bookings for the Baleno. The Baleno is a premium product of Maruti Suzuki and is sold via Nexa dealerships only.
The Baleno is manufactured only in India, and the company is planning to export the hatchback to over 100 countries. The car is powered by a 1.2-litre K-Series petrol engine tuned to develop 83bhp and 115Nm of torque, while the 1.3-litre DDiS diesel mill churns out 74bhp and 190Nm of torque. Both engines are mated to a five-speed manual transmission, and the petrol engine is also available with a CVT automatic gearbox.
