Country’s largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki India who have been well-known for their small cars, are also known for Gypsy SUV. Now apart from the launch of hatcbacks and sedans, the company is gearing upto launch 1 crossover and 2 new SUVs in the coming years. One will be the compact SUV while the other will be a full-sized SUV. Sadly, don’t expect any crossover or SUV from Maruti’s stable to be launched before 2015.
1) SX4 Crossover –
Maruti SX4 Crossover
- Launch – Expected in 2015
- Price – Rs. 9-10 lakh (speculated)
- Engine – 1.3-litre and 1.6-litre Fiat sourced Multijet diesel engines
As there is huge gap of next 2-3 years for Maruti SUVs to hit showrooms, to keep the SUV segment warm until the XA-Alpha arrives, the company plugs the time-lag with an Suzuki SX4 Crossover slated for launch in early-2015. Suzuki SX4 based crossover (code name: YAD) with a higher ground clearance as already been launched in Europe and will be Maruti’s first crossover utility vehicle in India. As per sources, the SX4 crossover in India will be available with both a 1.3-litre and 1.6-litre diesel engines.
2) XA-Alpha based Compact SUV –
Maruti XA Alpha Concept
- Launch – Expected in 2016
- Price – Rs. 7-8 lakh (speculated)
- Engine – 1.4-litre petrol and 1.3-litre Fiat sourced Multijet diesel engine
This is the much-awaited compact SUV in India. Maruti Suzuki XA Alpha concept was first showcased at the 2012 Delhi Auto Show. The XA-Alpha based sub-4 meter compact SUV (code name: YBA) might not reach the Indian car market before 2016, a timeline that represents a near one year delay for this much anticipated product. The interiors of YBA are expected to be much like the Ertiga, with some more advanced features like climate control with some flavours from the Swift DZire for the dashboard and other interior features.
3) iV4 Based SUV –
Maruti iV-4 Concept
- Launch – Expected in 2017
- Price – Rs. 12-16 lakh (speculated)
- Engine – Not applicable
The third will be a premium SUV which will replace the Grand Vitara but will bear a lower-entry price tag and will create an all-new SUV segment. The upcoming full-sized SUV will be based on the muscular iV-4 concept first showcased at the 2013 IAA Frankfurt Motor Show. Compared to the current model, the new full-sized SUV will be lightweight and will have 4-wheel-drive option. Furthermore, it will also have an diesel option which is absent in the current-model. The production model is expected to be unveiled in 2015, while sales in India will only commence sometime in 2017.
The urgency can be noticed Mr. Mayank Pareek Maruti’s COO for sales and marketing in his recent statement said –
“I am always asking the engineering guys to quicken their work on SUVs, it is the need of the hour. I expect to see a 3-4% jump in our market share once we roll out our SUVs. Its among the fastest growing sectors today and accounts for about 21% of car sales and we are not present there, so we are losing out.”
Also see – Maruti Suzuki to launch 3 SUVs to boost its sales
Source – Indian Express (via MotorBash)
