Maruti teases the SUV concept, unveiling on 5th Jan

Maruti Suzuki is all set to unveil the all new Maruti SUV concept on the 5t Jan at the 2012 Auto Expo. After getting the pole position in the compact car segment Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest car maker is looking to tap new segments.

The a compact sport utility vehicle (SUV), a concept version of which will be unveiled on the 1^st day of the Auto Expo, while the production version is expected to hit the market later by 2013-14. Apart from the ageing Gypsy, mostly used by the armed forces, Maruti does not have a product in this category. We the all new SUV based on the Jimny platform to be launched in India.

Around 7-8% of the 2.5 million passenger vehicles sold in India are SUVs, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam). Companies such as Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd and Tata Motors Ltd dominate the segment, which is expected to double its share of the passenger vehicle pie over the next decade.

Maruti Suzuki displayed the Jimny SUV at the 2010 Delhi auto expo and there were a lot of rumours of the mini SUV being launched in India. We do feel its time Maruti does consider this model seriously. Here are a few reasons we feel the SUV does make sense for India:

• The mini SUV segment is still in its nascent stage and a product for the leader could only help to make the buyers look at the segment in a more serious manner.
• Current only Premier offers the Rio, No much competition
• Mahindra, Premier, Ford and Skoda are planning to launch models in this segment
• Jimny has a length of 3,645mm which qualifies it under the sub-4 metre category
• A 1.3 Multijet diesel engine from Fiats stable could only help to see the SUV clock high sales
• Customers are now looking for mini SUV’s which can also be used for weekends off roading

So what are your expectations from the all new SUV?