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If you are among those scouting for new multi/sports utility vehicle and finding it tough to opt from what the market now offers, there is more excitement in store. At least half a dozen new ones are set to hit the road before the festive season.
Duster from French carmaker Renault, Xylo compact from M&M, Evalia from Nissan, Enjoy from General Motors (in association with its Chinese partner SAIC), and an unnamed model from Hyundai, will be first off the starting block.
These are likely to be priced from about Rs 6 lakh in the case of M&M and upwards, based on the engine variant and features.
There are others in works from the Ford stable (Ecosport), SsangYong (Rexton) and, after Ertiga, Maruti seems to have another ace up its sleeve, possibly bringing in Jimny, in the Gypsy range.
Mr Pravin Shah, Chief Executive Officer, Automotive Division, M&M, told Business Line : “Launch of new models creates excitement while expanding the market. The country’s market for utility vehicles will grow as it is still small compared to other major markets. While we do not comment on products ahead of their launch, yes we are set to launch a new vehicle during the festive season.”
Mr P. Balendran Vice-President of General Motors India, said: “The market for multi-purpose vehicles such as Enjoy that we are to launch during the year is growing as people want cars with more space and flexible features. The auto market is tough and will take time to accelerate.”
Mr Nirav Modi, of Fortune Nissan, said the SUV market is barely 15 per cent of the overall market and has potential to go up to 30 per cent.
New launches from most major players will woo customers. After Toyota Innova, M&M Xylo and Scorpio, the recent launch of Ertiga by Maruti has kicked up interest and potential is huge.
Mr Yashwant Jhabakh of Mahavir Motors, which deals in Mercedes and Skoda, said busy cities have forced people to look at compact SUVs. Therefore, more automotive companies are coming up with vehicles to cater to this demand where smaller models are being sought.
Mr Kumar Kandaswami, Senior Director, Deloitte, says India has 50-60 models of cars as against 100 plus in Brazil and over 200 in China. There is some way to go. However, the concept of utility vehicle here is more of soft-roaders rather than SUVs.
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