7 Features That Debuted On These Brands In 2022

While brands like Hyundai and Toyota featured ADAS, Maruti stuck to adding simpler features to its lineup

While 2022 was a big year for technology-rich launches across segments from different brands, it was also the year where some brands offered new features for the first time in India. We got some mass market cars with ADAS, some with panoramic sunroofs and a few with strong-hybrid systems. Most of the brand firsts came from Maruti and its shared models with Toyota, as the Indian carmaker finally started trying to catch up with its premium rivals.

Also Read: 5 Cars With ADAS Launched In 2022

Let's see which brands offered these first-time features in 2022, and on which model.

Strong-hybrid Powertrains

The strong-hybrid powertrain was one of the automotive highlights of 2022. Maruti, Toyota and Honda began introducing this technology here. Honda was the first with the new City Hybrid, followed by the Toyota Hyryder compact SUV. Maruti’s Grand Vitara offering based on the Hyryder made it a first for the Indian carmaker as well. Toyota then added strong-hybrid tech to the latest generation of its MPV, the Innova Hycross as well.

ADAS

A suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is one of the top safety features you can get on a car. It includes features such as front-collision avoidance, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control and auto-emergency braking. These features provide more safety to the occupants and a much better driving experience. 

This year, a few carmakers added ADAS to their new launches in India for the first time. From Toyota’s India lineup, it is the Innova Hycross, while Honda added ADAS to the City Hybrid in India and Hyundai debuted ADAS in India on the new Tucson.

Panoramic Sunroof

A panoramic sunroof is one of the most popular features in India right now for premium models priced below Rs 20 lakh, with multiple carmakers offering it for a few years now. Toyota and Maruti listened to the consumers and introduced it to their lineup for the first time in 2022 with their new compact SUVs, the Hyryder and Grand Vitara, respectively. Toyota then added it to the Innova Hycross as well.

Heads-up Display

Kia remained one of the only mass-market brands to offer a heads-up display, but 2022 saw it joined by Maruti and Toyota. Both Maruti and Toyota launched cars this year that came with a heads-up display, but it was the first time for Maruti to offer this feature. From Maruti’s lineup, the facelifted Baleno got this feature first and then the carmaker equipped the Grand Vitara with it too. Shared products like the Toyota Glanza’s facelift and the Toyota Hyryder also got them, but the premium brand also used to offer it with the Camry sedan.

360-degree Camera

The continued growth of SUV and SUV-shaped models has made it a somewhat popular offering, even in the affordable segments. While some carmakers have had this feature on their models for some time now, Maruti added it for the first time in 2022. It is yet another brand-first that arrived on the facelifted Baleno premium hatchback and is currently a segment-exclusive feature.

Wireless Phone Charging

Yes, you guessed it right, Maruti waited till 2022 to finally add wireless phone charging as a factory-fitted feature. While fairly common among rivals like Hyundai and Kia, this small but useful feature arrived on the new Brezza this year. After that, Maruti began offering it with the bigger Grand Vitara as well.

Ventilated Front Seats

The last big feature-first for Maruti in 2022 was ventilated front seats. It’s a pretty appealing proposition for a nation with hot summers in the North and humid ones in the South, but remains a premium feature offered by only a few mass-market brands. Maruti debuted this feature in their lineup with the new XL6 this year. 

These were all the features that were already offered by some brands, while being offered by some in 2022 for the very first time. We expect more mass-market carmakers to begin offering features like ADAS in the following year among other new technologies.

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