FIGO ASPIREFord had done very well with its Figo hatchback, followed by the successof the EcoSport SUV that did a lot to boost the Ford’s image. In 2015, itintroduced a restyled and upgraded Figo as well as a sedan version of it asthe Figo Aspire. These 1200 cc petrol-run and 1500 cc diesel-powered carsare good to look at and offer excellent space, comfort and refinement.They are also competitively priced

HYUNDAI CRETAFollowing in the footsteps of the earlier game changers such as theRenault Duster and the Ford EcoSport, Hyundai launched its own“crossover” model, the Creta, which became an instant success. Itcombined the comforts of a midsized sedan and the attitude of an SUV,complete with big wheels and an aggressive look. It is offered with a 121horsepower (hp) petrol engine, and also two diesel mills of 88 and 126hp priced between ~10 lakh and ~16 lakh

MAHINDRA TUV300Mahindra & Mahindra, which continues to dominate thedomestic SUV market with its Scorpio, Balero, Xylo, Quantoand XUV500, has now added a smaller and cheapermodel, the ~8 lakh to ~10 lakh TUV300

WHEELSOFTHEYEAR

MURAD ALI BAIG

Despite growing concerns over pollution caused by automobiles,Indians bought nearly 3 million cars and other personal vehiclesin 2015 — auto sales grew by almost 10 per cent during the year.

Today, the Indian buyer has a bewildering choice of 75 different domesti-cally manufactured models, each of which offers several variants ofdiesel and petrol engines apart from other features such as automaticgears. The year 2015 saw some major successes.

RENAULT KWIDOn the back of its success with theDuster, Renault offered a mini-crossover in the form of the Kwid,which looks — and feels — like asmall SUV. Priced between ~2.5lakh and ~3.9 lakh, it touches thelowest-price segment of themarket. Its three-cylinder, 800-ccengine delivers a peppy 53 horsepower

MARUTI BALENOIndia’s biggest auto player, Maruti, has also been quite innovativethis year. It scored with the Baleno — a truly premium hatchback.About 12 cm longer than the Swift, the car is loaded with so many

interesting features that it makes the ageing Swift look plain Jane.Nine petrol and diesel models priced between ~5.56 lakh and ~9.35lakh offer an impressive choice of features for pleasure and comfort

TATA BOLT /ZEST India’s very own Tata Motors introduced two interesting small cars: theBolt hatchback and the Zest compact saloon. Both were hugeimprovements on the existing range of the Indica, Indigo and Manza.The new platforms, with sophisticated petrol and diesel engines,revealed an unprecedentedly refreshing level of refinement. Driverson test drives were all impressed, but most buyers could not forget theold image of the rather crude earlier Tata models

BMW i8Perhaps the most spectacularly beautiful andinteresting car is the hybrid BMW i8. Fitted with asmall petrol engine, it boasts amazing accelerationwith equally astonishing fuel efficiency. However, itmakes one wonder who would worry about fuelconsumption in a two-seater car that costs morethan ~2.5 crore

HONDA MOBILIO Honda stretched the multi-utility vehiclesegment by introducing its seven-seaterMobilio. Priced ~6-8 lakh, it is touted as afamily car, not an MUV