Year Ender 2023: Looking for top car launches of 2023? Check here
These are just some of the many car launches that took place during the outgoing year.
The year 2023 is about to end, with only around a fortnight left for the dawn of a new year. While many cars were launched during the outgoing year, others made their global debuts, with most set for a launch in 2024.
Here is a look at some of the major car launches/debuts of 2023, both in India and abroad.
India
Mahindra XUV400 (launched on Jan 16): The much-awaited EV, a compact SUV from homegrown carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra, was launched at an introductory rate of ₹15.99 lakh.
Citroen e-C3 (Feb 27): French giant Citroen’s maiden electric offering for India, e-C3 was given a starting price of ₹11.50 lakh.
Maruti Suzuki Fronx (Apr 24)/Jimny 5-door (June 7)/Invicto (July 5): While Fronx was priced at ₹7.47 lakh, the latest Jimny, a 5-door version of the popular SUV, arrived at a starting price of ₹12.74 lakh. On the other hand, Invicto, the new flagship for the company, had a starting price of ₹24.79 lakh.
Hyundai Exter (July 10): The smallest among all Hyundai SUVs in the Indian market, Exter, a rival to Tata Punch, arrived at a starting rate of ₹5.99 lakh.
Audi Q8 e-tron (Aug 18): Priced at a staggering ₹1.14 crore, the Q8 e-tron was launched here as the new flagship of the Audi brand, a subsidiary of the German automaker Volkswagen.
Honda Elevate (Sept 4): Elevate is the first of five mid-size SUVs that the Japan-based Honda Cars is slated to launch in India by the end of the decade. It was given a starting price of ₹11 lakh.
BMW iX1 (Sept 28): iX1 is the first model in the country’s luxury car segment to be available in petrol, diesel, and electric powertrain options, and carries a price tag of ₹66.90 lakh.
Lamborghini Revuelto (Dec 6): Lamborghini’s maiden hybrid supercar, which made its global debut in March, can be bought for ₹8.89 crore.
During the year of facelift versions of several popular models were also released. The facelifts include those of Kia Seltos (July 4), BMW X5 (July 14), Tata Nexon (Sept 14), Jeep Compass with 2WD variant (Sept 16), Tata Harrier and Safari (Oct 17), and Kia Sonet (Dec 14), among others.
(All prices are ex-showroom)
Globally launched/unveiled
Renault Rafale (June 19): A flagship offering from French manufacturer Renault, Rafale was officially unveiled on June 19. It has the same name as the Rafale fighter jets, which, like the car, have a French manufacturer (Dassault Aviation).
Tesla Cybertruck (Nov 30): Technically, Elon Musk-led Tesla’s Cybertruck is not a car -- it is a full-size electric pickup truck -- though it finds a mention here as an EV. Currently, the vehicle, which the company says is ‘bulletproof,’ starts at $79,990 (approx. ₹6.66 lakh).