The Compact SUV and compact sedan segments are growing at a very rapid rate. Even though the Indian Automobile Industry witnessed a 5% decline in overall sales in the last financial year, the only segments which witnessed a growth were the compact SUV and compact Sedan segments. These two segments outsold the rest, and in some cases, the waiting periods for some of the compact SUV’s ran into months if not weeks. The massive growth in this segment was kick-started when Renault launched the duster in 2012, consumers absolutely loved it and went haywire and Renault observed record bookings in a short time since its launch.
Hyundai ix25 Concept – FrontView
It was now clear that Indians loved compact SUV’s and other big players couldn’t keep themselves away from this segment for a long time and in a short span of time, ford too launched its contender for the compact SUV segment with the Ford Ecosport, the waiting period for which stretched into months. Such is the demand for compact SUV’s in our country, and we shouldn’t be surprised to see more manufacturers following the trend and launching compact SUV’s. Maruti Suzuki Showcased the XA-Alpha concept, Tata too is playing with the Idea of a compact SUV, Volkswagen had showcased the Taigun and Hyundai too showed their intentions of entering into this segment by showcasing the ix25 compact SUV at the Beijing auto show.
Of all the manufacturers who expressed their intentions to enter this segment, Hyundai has been more interested than the rest. Rakesh Srivastava, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales, Hyundai Motor India Limited. has confirmed that the ix25 will be manufactured indeed and it will be launched in India as early as next year. That is a lot of promise from Hyundai India, as they have to develop the ix25 from scratch within a year’s time, but knowing Hyundai, we think they will pull it off.
Hyundai ix25 Concept – RearView
The ix25 was showcased at the Beijing Auto show and it turned many heads, as it really is a looker. One could easily fall in love with its looks, which is based on the signature Hyundai ‘Fluidic’ design language. The ix25 measures over 4 meters in length, at 4.27 meters, this means that the ix25 would miss out on the sub-4 meter segment excise benefit, but still measures under and would rival the 4.3 meter long Duster nevertheless.
As for power-train options, the ix25 will be powered by engines borrowed from the Hyundai Verna and Hyundai i20, though the final output figures might be changed. From the looks of it, the Hyundai ix25 is all set to captivate the minds of the Indian consumer who is in the market looking for a compact SUV, it might as well attract the premium hatchback buyer, if priced right.
To read more on Hyundai Motor India, click here
Also see – Hyundai IX25 Compact SUV showcased at 2014 Beijing Motor Show
See more pictures of Hyundai ix25 Concept –
Source – Financial Express
