Manufacturers across the automobile spectrum launched new models and variants to woo customers during the festive season amid a sharp drop of 40 per cent in September sales.

Hero MotoCorp launched the new Xtreme 160R Stealth Edition bike, while Tata Motors is offering subcompact SUV Punch which will be launched on Monday.

SUV maker Mahindra and Mahindra has made its presence felt with the XUV700, while South Korean brand Kia launched the first anniversary edition of Sonet, its compact SUV. Premium bike makers KTM and Triumph also updated some of their range.

The Hero Xtreme 160R Stealth with new elements such as LED winkers and Side stand engine cut-off, integrated USB charger and LCD brightness adjustment and a new gear indicator feature on the speedometer will retail at a price of Rs. 1.16 lakh.

Malo le Masson, head of strategy and global product planning, Hero MotoCorp, said: “The Xtreme is the sporty and urban brand in Hero MotoCorp’s X-range of premium motorcycles.”

Naveen Chauhan, head sales, after sales and parts, Hero MotoCorp, felt, “The new Xtreme will surely brighten-up the festive season in coming weeks.”

Tata Motors announced its most recent addition to its “New Foreve’ range of SUVs. The Tata Punch has become the latest recipient of the five-star rating (16.453) for adult occupant protection and 4-star rating (40.891) for child occupant protection from Global NCAP.

The Punch is third car from Tata Motors to receive this recognition after Altroz in January 2020 and Nexon in December 2018.

Rajendra Petkar, president and chief technology officer, Tata Motors, “It is an industry first achievement in the sub-compact SUV segment. This is in line with our philosophy that vehicle safety should be made accessible to all..”

Kia India announced the launch of the Kia Sonet 1st anniversary edition to celebrate the first successful year of its smart urban-compact SUV. It will retail at a price band of Rs 10.79 lakh to Rs 11.89 lakh. The Sonet 1st anniversary edition is available in four powertrains options, 1.0 T-GDi petrol engine with Smartstream 6iMT & 7DCT and 1.5-litre CRDi diesel engine with 6MT (in WGT configuration) & 6AT (in VGT configuration), starting a price of Rs 10,79,000 (ex-showroom, pan India) and are limited edition variants.

Tae-Jin Park, managing director and chief executive officer, Kia India said, “The Sonet has been one of our breakthrough products that have contributed to Kia's success in India. We have sold more than one lakh units in less than a year.”

The Mahindra XUV700 was launched right before the festive season. Available with multiple powertrain options and seating configurations, XUV 700 is available in variants that include diesel and petrol, manual and automatic transmissions and with 5 and 7 seater capacity. It is also available in an optional All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) spec. The price range is between Rs 12.49 lakh to Rs 22.99 lakh.

The 2022 KTM RC Range, a supersport model in the KTM lineup, consists of the KTM RC 125, KTM RC 200, and KTM RC 390. The India version of the KTM RC 200 Gen-2 retains all the features as in the international version and comes in with an additional upgrade of all-new full LED headlamp unit.

Speaking on the occasion, Sumeet Narang – President, Pro-Biking Business unit at Bajaj Auto Ltd. said – “The KTM RCs are race-bred machines with its technology and form inspired from the MotoGP racer– KTM RC 16. While the KTM RC range Gen-2 will be available in global markets by 2022, the KTM RC 200 Gen-2 will be available for the Indian motorcycle enthusiasts from October 2021. The KTM RC 125 Gen-2 will be available from November 2021. We are celebrating 10 years of KTM’s presence in the Indian market this year, and we are excited to announce the all new KTM RC 200 and KTM RC 125 at a special introductory price of Rs. 2.09 lacs and Rs. 1.82 Lacs (Ex-SR, Delhi) respectively to mark the occasion.”

Triumph Motorcycles launched the latest edition of Street Scrambler with a Euro 5 engine update priced at INR 9.35 lakh ex-showroom.