Datsun and Honda prepare to take on the Maruti Ertiga

For a couple of years now we've seen a lot of cars find their way into the Indian market, but it was the MPV segment that dominated the scene. The plan was essentially to give the family car a twist when it came to India. There were competitors already in the market like the Mahindra Xylo or even the Toyota Innova, but the entire premise revolved around making the MPV stylish, efficient and feature packed.

Maruti Suzuki jumped on to the MPV band wagon with the Ertiga, soon we saw Nissan going that way as they launched the Evalia. Chevrolet too didn't want to be left out and brought out the Enjoy. We haven't forgotten the Ashok Leyland Stile and that too is now available in the market. Just when you thought that the attention of the manufacturers has been diverted to the compact segment of cars, there are a few companies who still think that the MPV is a growing segment.

We take a look at a few cars that are coming our way this year in the MPV segment.

Datsun Go+

The Datsun Go+ is based on the same platform as the GO hatchback and was made for the Indonesian markets. Datsun soon revealed that the car will come to India and even brought the car to the Delhi Auto Expo this year.

It also shares the same 2450mm wheelbase as the hatchback and the extra 210mm length is the only key differentiating factor. However, Datsun has still managed to keep the car under the 4-metre mark and that is what is astonishing.

From what we saw at the Auto Expo, the interiors of the Go+ are similar to that of the hatchback but it gets 3 rows and hence place for 7 people. The Go+ will also get the 1.2-litre, 3 cylinder petrol powertrain which will be good enough to churn out 68bhp and 104Nm of torques.

Datsun will be looking at launching the Go+ at a very competitive price and if you convert the price from its Indonesian counterpart, it sums upto Rs. 5.50 lakhs. Now that will be a tough price bracket to beat!

Honda Mobilio

Honda is slowly getting back into the game. It started with the Brio hatchback and then the Amaze, the CR-V and finally the new City. The Japanese car manufacturer doesn't want to stop there and that is why it too is coming out with an MPV - the Mobilio.

Now, when we went for the Honda plant inauguration in Rajasthan, we got to know that the company plans to launch the Mobilio in the 3rd quarter of 2014 which will be closer to the festive season. The new Mobilio MPV looks very young and sporty. Wearing the new headlights, aggressive hood, oval fog lamps with black plastic casing, bold horizontal slat chrome grille and other styling elements, the front fascia of the MPV resembles to the Amaze compact sedan. However, the bold side creases run down after the B-pillar distinguish the MPV from its younger siblings.

The wheelbase of MPV is increased by 245mm, which is now measured around 2650mm. Honda Mobilio MPV comes powered with a 117bhp, 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine and a 98bhp, 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel unit, which are used for the Amaze. Honda might price this MPV at Rs. 6.50 lakhs and it does make it a great value proposition.

Maruti Ertiga Altair

Don't count Maruti out of the game yet. There might be new MPV's coming your way, but there is a new Ertiga as well. The company showcased the car at the Delhi Auto Expo and has named it the Ertiga Altair.

From what we know, the changes will be cosmetic and not mechanical so there will be no change in the engines, but expect the feature list to be a long one. The Ertiga Altair gets a customized headlight cluster with projector lenses and LED daytime running lights. Based of the Swift, this MPV gets a full body kit with a rear spoiler, side skirts and bumper spoilers, apart from a new set of alloy wheels. There is a lot of chrome on the car to give it that premium look.

We expect an alteration of hardly a few thousand rupees from the current available model but Maruti might just surprise us with a competitive price point.