Like every year, October 2026 has begun amid the festive season, and manufacturers are ready with a slew of launches. These launches will include debuts of new cars and refreshed versions of existing models already on the market. Here is a quick look at each upcoming car to launch in October 2026.
Hyundai Bayon
The Hyundai Bayon is one of this year’s most awaited cars, and bookings began on 23 September. Positioned under the Hyundai Creta, the Bayon will be Hyundai’s second mid-size SUV and will use the Creta’s 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine. Hyundai already teased the Bayon, revealing that it will follow Hyundai’s ‘Art of Steel’ design language, with design elements such as L-shaped LEDs at the front and rear. Notably, the Bayon will also be available in CNG models, making it the first above-four-metre Hyundai vehicle to be powered by CNG.
The Hyundai Bayon is expected to launch in mid to late October 2026.
Honda Elevate Facelift
Earlier this year, Honda launched the facelifted Honda City, and now, the facelifted Honda Elevate will hit the market in October. The new Elevate will come with an updated design inside out and a revised interior with a larger infotainment screen, like the facelifted Honda City. Honda will also expand Elevate’s feature list, adding ventilated seats, a 360-degree camera, ambient lighting, and more.
The new Elevate will retain the current Elevate’s 1.5-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, producing 121 PS and 145 Nm of torque, with transmission options of a 6-speed manual gearbox and a CVT automatic.
Moreover, Honda could also offer the new Elevate with Honda City e:HEV’s 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol-hybrid powertrain, mated solely to an e-CVT automatic. If so, the Elevate will be able to compete with hybrid SUVs from rivals like the Maruti Victoris, Maruti Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, and the upcoming Renault Duster hybrid, which will also launch in October.
The Honda Elevate facelift will launch on 6 October 2026.
Skoda Slavia Facelift
Skoda revealed the Skoda Slavia facelift in August 2026, and it will reveal prices this month. The new Slavia comes with plenty of design updates, including new DRLs, a revised grille and bumpers, and more. The interior is the same as the current model. The new interior colour theme and additional features include a 360-degree camera, a massage function for the rear seats (segment-first), a larger 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a Google-based AI assistant, an upgraded variable-geometry AC compressor, and front parking sensors.
The Skoda Slavia facelift will offer the same engine options as the current model: a 1.0-litre three-cylinder direct-injection turbo-petrol engine producing 115 PS and 178 Nm, and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder direct-injection turbo-petrol engine producing 150 PS and 250 Nm. A key change is an 8-speed torque converter automatic replacing the 6-speed torque converter automatic currently available with the smaller 1-litre turbo petrol engine. Another update is that Skoda will offer the 1.5-litre engine-powered models with rear disc brakes – a much-requested upgrade.
Like the current model, only the smaller 1-litre engine is available with a 6-speed manual gearbox, and the larger 1.5-litre engine comes with a sole 7-speed DCT automatic.
The Skoda Slavia facelift will go on sale on 6 October.
Toyota Glanza Facelift
Nearly a month after the Maruti Baleno facelift launch, Toyota will launch its Toyota-badged version, the Toyota Glanza facelift. With the facelift, the Glanza is expected to receive design updates like those on the updated Maruti Baleno, including a redesigned grille and bumpers, and a new alloy wheel design. Like the new Maruti Baleno, the new Glanza is expected to have minimal interior changes, except for new upholstery. Key additions include the Level-2 ADAS safety suite, a wireless charger, and front ventilated seats.
As always, the new Glanza will share engine and transmission options with the Maruti Baleno. It will come with Maruti Baleno’s new 1.2-litre three-cylinder Z12E petrol engine, producing 83 PS and 112 Nm, mated to a 5-speed manual and 5-speed AMT. Like now, the Glanza will also be available in CNG models. Currently, the Glanza is offered with a 1.2-litre four-cylinder K12N petrol engine, producing 90 PS and 113 Nm of torque.
Toyota will launch the Toyota Glanza facelift on 14 October.
Renault Duster Hybrid
One of the biggest talking points of the new Renault Duster, launched in March 2026, was its strong-hybrid powertrain, which launches this month. The Renault Duster’s strong hybrid, dubbed E-Tech 160, has a 1.8-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that produces 109 PS, paired with a 49 PS electric motor and a 20 PS hybrid starter generator (HSG), powered by a 1.4 kWh (280 V) battery.
This setup will be paired with a segment-first 8-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT) that has fixed gear ratios, unlike the e-CVT automatic transmissions available with Duster’s rivals such as the Maruti Grand Vitara, Maruti Victoris, and Toyota Hyryder.
With fixed gear ratios, the DHT should offer a more natural driving feel. Moreover, Renault claims the Duster hybrid can do 80 per cent of city driving in all-electric mode, thanks to its 1.4 kWh battery.
The Renault Duster Hybrid will launch on 17 October.
Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class Facelift
After launching the 2026 Mercedes-Benz S-Class facelift in June, the German luxury carmaker will launch its larger, more luxurious version: the Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class facelift. Like before, the Maybach S-Class will be 180 mm longer than the standard S-Class and feature Maybach-specific design differentiators like a grille embellished with ‘Maybach’ lettering, slightly reworked bumpers, bespoke wheels, and plenty of Maybach logos across the body.
Inside, the Maybach S-Class gets the same triple-screen setup as the standard S-Class. The setup consists of a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14.4-inch central touchscreen, and a 12.3-inch front-passenger-side screen. Aside from new vegan-leather upholstery, the interior remains largely unchanged. Like the current model, the rear seat reclines up to 43 degrees and has heating, ventilation, and massage.
Globally, the Maybach S-Class is available with a 4.0-litre twin-turbo mild-hybrid engine (S 580), a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plug-in hybrid (S 580e), or a 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 engine (S 680). In India, Mercedes-Benz India is expected to offer only S 580 and S 580e variants.
Volvo ES90
The launch of the all-electric Volvo ES90 this month will mark the brand’s return to the luxury sedan segment. Based on Volvo’s 800V SPA2 architecture, the ES90 is expected to offer a 106-kWh battery pack claimed to deliver a 696 km range, plus a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup. With front- and rear-axle-mounted electric motors, the power output will be around 456 PS and 670 Nm, enough to make the sedan sprint from 0 to 100 km/hr in 5.3 seconds. As for charging, the Swedish luxury electric sedan supports up to 350 kW DC, which can top up the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in 22 minutes.
The ES90 has an aggressive design with clean panels, T-shaped LED headlamps, C-shaped tail lamps, and vertically stacked LED fog lamps. With its aggressive design, the ES90 has a drag coefficient of 0.25, making it Volvo’s most aerodynamic car yet. Inside, the ES90 has a minimalist interior layout. For features, it gets a 14.5-inch Google-based portrait touchscreen, a slim 9-inch digital instrument cluster, a 13.2-inch head-up display, a panoramic glass roof, four-zone climate control, powered front seats, and a Bose sound system. It also gets a Level-3 ADAS safety suite.
The Volvo ES90 will launch on 12 October.
Volvo EX90
Alongside the Volvo ES90, the Swedish luxury carmaker will launch its SUV version, Volvo EX90. The EX90 shares the same 800V SPA2 platform, 106 kWh battery, and dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup as the ES90. However, the EX90 claims a 625 km range, and the electric SUV can do a 0-100 km/hr dash in 5.3 seconds. It shares many design elements, almost all of the interior, and a similar feature list with the ES90. A key difference is that the EX90 is a six-seater and gets captain seats in the second row.
The Volvo EX90 will launch on 12 October.
Third-Generation Audi Q3
Audi will launch the latest-gen Audi Q3 this month. The new Q3 is larger and has a sharper design than its predecessor. Inside, the new Q3 gets a more modern-looking interior than its predecessor and more features, including a 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, an 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster, a new squarish four-spoke steering wheel, ambient lighting, a Sonos sound system, a panoramic sunroof, a 360-degree camera, dual-zone climate control, and others.
The new Q3 uses the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder direct-injection turbo-petrol engine as the current model. This engine produces 204 PS and is mated to a 7-speed DCT automatic and Audi’s Quattro AWD system. The luxury SUV can sprint from 0 to 100 km/hr in 7.1 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 229 km/hr. With the new generation, the Audi Q3 will continue to compete with the BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA.
The third-gen Audi Q3 will launch on 16 October.
