Car News That Mattered This Week (January 12-17, 2026): Tata Punch Facelift Stole The Show, Variant Revisions Of Some Popular Cars, And More

The last week saw the introduction of the facelifted avatar of a popular Tata SUV, while we also witnessed a few variant alterations of some models by a couple of mass-market brands. A big luxury carmaker also launched a new special edition of two of its relatively more premium offerings. Here’s everything that created a buzz in the Indian automotive industry in the past week:

New 2026 Tata Punch Facelift Launched

Since its market introduction in 2021, the Tata Punch was running along with small-yet-important model year updates, but had started getting a bit longer in the tooth. The carmaker has now launched the facelifted Punch with a more stylish exterior and a slightly more premium cabin. It has not only given the micro SUV some new features, but has also widened its powertrain lineup. What’s also interesting, though, is that during the product presentation, Tata also highlighted how strong the Punch is by showing a surprising video!

Special Edition Of Two Mercedes-Benz SUVs

At a recently held media event, Mercedes-Benz announced its future plans while also divulging a big decision, which is a welcome move by the German carmaker. Mercedes-Benz has also introduced a special edition of two of its flagship SUVs - Maybach GLS and the EQS SUV, with some cosmetic tweaks inside and out.

Kia Rejigs Variant Lineups Of Two Models

As part of model year improvements, Kia recently updated the variant lineup of two of its offerings, namely the Carens Clavis and Syros. With the revision, both the Kia cars have gotten a new (EX) variant that the carmaker says has been introduced following customer feedback. The newly added variant makes some popular features more affordable in both Kia models.

Volkswagen’s BIG Decision For Virtus And Taigun

Volkswagen recently took a big call relating to the Virtus and Taigun that came as a big surprise to the entire auto fraternity in India. One of the most sought after engine-transmission combination, loved by the enthusiasts, has now departed from the lineup. The decision was a part of a silent move, and hence no official reason has been cited for the same.

MG Majestor Unveil Date Out

After being showcased at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025, the MG Majestor is now set to be unveiled in India and the date has been announced. The full-size SUV is likely to be positioned above the Gloster in MG’s Indian lineup and could come with some more equipment than the former while sharing the same powertrains.

2026 Skoda Kushaq Facelift Teased

Skoda India dropped the very first teaser of the upcoming Kushaq facelift. The compact SUV is about to receive its first significant update since its launch and is expected to launch later this month. 

New Cars Arriving At Dealerships; Bookings And Deliveries Commence

Following their launch, the facelifted Tata Punch and the second-generation Kia Seltos have arrived at pan-India dealerships. We got our hands on some images of the Punch at dealership and it’s the fully loaded Accomplished Plus S variant of the updated micro SUV.

Speaking about the new Kia Seltos, we managed to capture one of its higher-spec variants at a dealership. It is one of the most well-equipped variants in the SUV’s lineup, and it even gets almost all the engine-gearbox combos on offer.

Besides, official bookings for Mahindra XUV 7XO, XEV 9S and BE 6 Formula E edition opened this week. Tata also started the deliveries of the Sierra.