These 5 New Cars Spied Testing in India in January - Mahindra XEV 7e to Harrier EV

Car manufacturers are getting aggressive with their product strategy for the fast growing Indian market. Most of the brands are planning to launch a wide range of new cars and SUVs in our market this year. In fact, testing of the new models have already been started on the Indian roads. Let's talk about the top 5 new cars and SUVs that were spied on testing in India in January 2025 - 

Tata Harrier EV AWD

Tata Motors has showcased the production-ready Harrier EV at the 2025 Delhi Auto Expo. In fact, the electric SUV has been caught testing numerous times on the Indian roads. Before Expo debut, the Tata new Tata Harrier EV was caught testing at a performance race track in Coimbatore. The new Harrier EV is based on Tata's new Acti.ev architecture that underpins the Punch EV and Curvv EV. 

The Harrier EV will come with a 75kWh battery pack and dual motor, AWD (all-wheel drive) configuration. It will come with the Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) charging capabilities. The Harrier EV gets the rear independent suspension, a rear electric motor and a terrain response system offering multiple modes. 

Expected Launch Date - March 2025
Estimated Price - Rs 20 lakh - Rs 28 lakh
Competition - Mahindra XEV 9e, BE 6 and BYD Atto 3

Next-gen Hyundai Venue

Hyundai has started testing the next-gen Venue on the Indian roads. In fact, the new Venue will be launched before the end of this year. The new model will be produced at Hyundai's Talegaon facility in Maharashtra, which was acquired from General Motors in 2023. The original silhouette of the Venue will remain intact; however, it will share some of the design cues from its bigger SUVs including the Creta and Alcazar. 

The cabin will receive significant changes in terms of features and design elements. The SUV will continue to be offered with the existing 1.0L 3-cylinder turbo petrol, a 1.2L 4-cylinder NA petrol and a 1.5L turbo diesel. Transmission choices will remain the same. 

Expected Launch Date - End of 2025
Estimated Price - Rs 8 lakh - Rs 14 lakh
Competition - Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV 3XO

Mahindra XEV 7e

It was speculated that Mahindra will introduce the production ready XUV700 electric at the 2025 Bharat Mobility Global Expo, that didn't happen. In fact, the 3-row SUV was caught testing on the Indian roads in the first week of January. Rumoured to be called the Mahindra XEV 7e, the new electric 3-row SUV will be launched in the second half of 2025. 

The XEV 7e will share features with the XEV 9e SUV Coupe. It will have a three-screen layout dominating the dashboard, a panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control, HUD and ADAS. The electric SUV will come with two battery pack options - 59kWh and 79kWh with a rear-axle-mounted electric motor. The SUV should offer a claimed MIDC range of over 500km on a single charge. It also gets a dual-motor AWD setup with higher power and torque output.

Expected Launch Date - mid-2025
Estimated Price - Rs 20 lakh - Rs 28 lakh
Competition - Tata Harrier EV and BYD Atto 3

Maruti Suzuki Fronx Hybrid

Maruti Suzuki is working on an all-new in-house developed hybrid powertrain, which comprise of a 1.2L 3-cylinder NA petrol engine, a small battery pack and an electric motor. The new strong hybrid powertrain will work as a range extender where the gasoline motor will act as a generator and recharge the battery pack. The electric motor will transmit power to the wheels.

If reports are to be believed, MSIL is aiming to extract over 35kmpl of mileage with the Fronx hybrid. This hybrid system will be offered on other Maruti Suzuki cars including Baleno, Swift and Dzire. In fact, Swift and Fronx hybrid were recently caught testing on the Indian roads. 

Expected Launch Date - mid-2025
Estimated Price - Rs 9 lakh - Rs 14 lakh
Competition - Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue and Kia Sonet

New Renault Duster

Renault has started testing the new-gen Duster SUV on the Indian roads. The new model was recently spotted in production avatar; however, the test mule was covered with thick cloth. The third-gen Duster is scheduled to be launched in the first half of 2026. It will be manufactured on Renault-Nissan Alliance's CMF-B modular platform, which also underpins the Dacia Bigster. The new-gen Duster will rival the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and others in the category. It will be powered by a 1.5L NA petrol and a 1.3L turbo petrol. 

Expected Launch Date - Early 2026
Estimated Price - Rs 10 lakh - Rs 18 lakh
Competition - Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and Maruti Grand Vitara