Snapshot – Currently, the only well finished, sub-4 meter compact SUV offering in India is the Ford Ecosport. The EcoSport is now a steady seller for Ford in India, while good export numbers have kept the factory busy from the outset. #Choice is always a good thing, pun certainly intended. So, from being a market that is hosting a couple of sub-4 meter SUV offerings, the country is all set to witness a flood of compact SUV launches, all in the same space, in the next one year. CarToq gives you 5 reasons on why you postpone your Ford EcoSport purchase.
You’re heart is set on the EcoSport, but not so your budget.
More compact SUVs eyeing the same wad of cash in a buyer’s pocket means discounts. The Ford EcoSport has been around for a couple of summers, but the lack of straight competition has meant that sales have been strong. Strong sales means car salesmen who don’t return your calls, and waiting periods that make you want to tear your hair out. Competition, in a nutshell, is a good thing. In the next year, the sub-4 meter, compact SUV space in India will change dramatically, with a surfeit of choice for the buyer. This also means that the hitherto un-discounted EcoSport may start offering attractive discounts. The crossover that was out of your reach so far might suddenly seem within reach.
The Mahindra S101 is coming soon.
Mahindra is gunning for B-Segment hatchbacks with the S101 codenamed SUV, which will sit in a new segment altogether – the Micro SUV segment. The Indian utility vehicle maker is in the middle of a trough as far as sales is concerned, and a big volume vehicle such as the S101 will be the automaker’s passport to a crest. What’s in it for you, the SUV buyer? 6 seats packed in a compact, sub-4 meter footprint. Petrol and diesel engine options. Manual and automated manual transmission options, and then of course a monocoque, front wheel drive layout along with improved fuel efficiency.
The Maruti Suzuki YBA/Vitara Brezza is a serious contender.
The sub-4 meter YBA code-named compact SUV is coming, and it’s a Maruti Suzuki after all. And so goes the common refrain in automotive circles. One of the most hotly anticipated compact SUVs in the country, the YBA will be the first such offering from India’ largest automaker. To be sold with petrol and turbo diesel engines, the YBA will look eye to eye with the Ford EcoSport. Pricing too is expected to be right on the money considering extensive localization and Maruti Suzuki’s inherent understanding of the Indian car buyer’s psyche. The SUV may be called the Vitara Brezza. Brezza is Italian for breeze and that’s what this SUV could be, a breeze of freshness in its segment.
Want something fresh and different? The Nissan Kicks based compact SUV is coming!
Talking fresh, Nissan India will soon get into the compact SUV powerplay with a vehicle based on the Kicks concept. The 1.5 liter K9K turbo diesel engine will flag off proceedings, and the new, affordable SUV from Nissan is expected to sit under the Terrano in terms of pricing. The Kicks Concept looks quite brash in terms of looks, and this is just what the compact SUV market may be asking for, after the sharply styled Ford EcoSport, whose claim to fame was its styling comparison with the Range Rover Evoque. Like the EcoSport, the Kicks is likely to be an compact urban crossover, with a monocoque body and a front wheel drive layout.
You want something more rugged. Enter the U301 Mahindra Bolero.
If most of your driving involves the Indian hinterland, buying a rugged, ladder frame SUV is the way to go. Mahindra is carving up a new offering that will be rugged yet affordable. The U301 Bolero is a sub-4 meter vehicle aimed at younger buyers. The vehicle will use a hydroformed ladder frame and will be rear wheel driven. A four wheel drive layout could also be offered, although there’s no confirmation about this at the moment. A 1.5 liter twin scroll turbocharger equipped diesel motor is likely to propel the U301 Bolero, which could also gain an automated manual transmission option to make the vehicle popular among city slickers.
