Fusion has become the way of the world from food to fashion and music… and it also affects the shape of the cars that we drive. Not very long ago, there was a huge difference between a car and a jeep but the rugged army jeep quickly became more refined while the passenger cars began to look rougher and tougher and evolved into Sports Utility Vehicles or SUVs that are now vehicles offering luxurious comfort with a big engine on big wheels that was good both for city streets and rough country roads.
Actually, buyers seldom take their SUVs for hunting or fishing but they like a tough ‘macho’ look. Some petite ladies also like to look aggressive in such masculine vehicles. Not surprisingly, the SUV look was progressively passed on to smaller vehicles that are quite common cars masquerading as SUVs.
The Renault Duster, with the inner comfort and features of a family sedan, but with bigger wheels and an SUV look brought a very affordable SUV to the market. The success of this petrol and diesel SUV prompted Renault’s global partner Nissan to quickly follow with their Terrano that had been built on the same platform but with Nissan engines and a slight change in styling.
The success of these ‘disruptive’ products resulted in the Kwid that was a mini SUVcompeting with small hatchbacks and then Renault added a slightly larger and more stylish Captur model on an extended Duster platform. Now Nissan has again entered the ring with an even bigger SUV on big 17 inch wheels called Kicks.
Mahindra & Mahindra has long been making a large range of utility vehicles like the Bolero and Xylo had also made several successful SUVs like the Scorpio and XUV 500. They added several smaller variants like the TUV 300, KUV 100 and XUV 300 as well as the bigger Marazzo and the SsangYong inspired bigger and more prestigious 180 hp Alturas. Tata Motors who had long been making the Sumo utility vehicle and the Safari SUV have added a stylish Nexon and a much improved, stylish and big Hexa SUV with a 150 hp diesel engine. It has also added an even more upmarket and stylish SUV called the Harrier.
Hyundai’s very popular 160 hp diesel powered Creta SUV and their more prestigious bigger Tucson are doing well and they are very likely to add a smaller and cheaper model to cut into the rapidly growing market of small SUV’s. Isuzu has some big vehicles like the rugged D-MAX pickup and the 177 hp MU-X SUV. The 170 hp Toyota Fortuna, however, commands the larger SUV segment of the market while the 162 hp Jeep Compass has had also had commendable success.
Maruti had not been too successful with their S-Cross that had all the comforts of a family sedan but lacked a real SUV look. But they have just launched a mini SUV called the S-Presso with a 1000 cc petrol engine. New entrants like KIA have also been successful with their SUV styled Seltos. Another new car maker MG Motors has also entered the market with their bigger Hector that is a medium-sized SUV based on the 1500 cc Chinese Baojun 530.
We will soon see a number of new electric cars and they seem to have all opted for an SUV look. The Hyundai Kona was the first but we would soon see the electric Tata Nexon and MG’s bigger ZS EV. Several other models are likely to be displayed at the Auto Expo scheduled to be held from February 7-12.