Our correspondent shows why, despite the economic slowdown, there is much to expect from the auto industry in the New Year
If you haven’t been seduced by the discount offers in December, you are indeed made of seriously stern, if not slightly foolhardy, stuff. Automobile companies across the nation will thank you for actually expecting something good to emerge from 2009, the year of collateral damage, and we at The Sunday Express will run you through a list of what the near future holds in the passenger car segment.

With a little bit of luck, 2009 may finally be the year of the much celebrated and so far ill-fated Nano. The hope is that its political baggage has not left this ambitious little car permanently scarred. According to industry research organisation Crisil, the Nano may make it possible for 65 per cent more families to move up into the car owners’ segment.

With Euro 4 emission standards, a promised mileage of 20 km per litre and a price tag of just Rs 1 lakh (at least before taxes etc) dealers have been itching to sell the Nano, but feel it may be unlikely that the car sees the light of day before March or April.
Market behemoth Maruti Suzuki will be back in 2009 with the Splash, the latest in their long line of endlessly reliable hatchbacks.

The interiors will strongly resemble the Sx4 and the Swift and the car should come with 1.2L petrol and the award-winning 1.3L multi-jet diesel engines. Given the current state of the market, Maruti is being extremely coy about when it will be launched, but it may be safe to expect it in the first quarter of 2009 for between Rs 4.5 and 5 lakh.

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