Seeing the growing competition in the compact SUV segment, it is expected that carmakers are now aiming to introduce their mini SUVs in the Indian car market. India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki is also planning to introduce a compact SUV based on XA Alpha concept, which was showcased at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo. However, the plan got delayed and nothing concrete on the launch of compact SUV has been revealed.
It was speculated that Maruti will unveil the production version of XA Alpha compact SUV at the recently held 2014 Indian Auto Expo. However, the company presented the SX4 S Cross concept, which is also likely to make its Indian debut by the next year. Keeping the growing competition in mind and the need of compact SUV in portfolio, MSI is now aiming to introduce the compact SUV in the market by the end of this year or by early 2015.
Maruti XA Alpha will directly compete against Ford EcoSport, and is expected to be powered by the Fiat sourced 1.3-litre multi-jet diesel engine, which also powers the Swift and Swift Dzire. The company is also planning to launch three new products this year including facelifted versions of Swift and Dzire, and Ciaz mid-sized sedan.
Not just XA Alpha, the Indian car market will also get several new compact SUVs in the near future. While Honda will bring the Brio based SUV, Hyundai already announced the plan of launching a Grand based compact SUV. Chevrolet Adra concept, Volkswagen Taigun and Mahindra compact SUV (codenamed S101) will also make their debut in the market by 2014-15. So, to take a competitive edge over other carmakers, Maruti Suzuki India need a compact SUV in the country.
