SUVs for long had been the mean vehicles of the rich class during the end of 90s and early 2000s. Although Mahindra and Tata were working on shortening the price gap between hatchbacks and SUVs/MUVs with their Sumo and Bolero, these vehicles were largely considered as rugged people movers. The requirement for a perfect machine that fits between a hatchback and SUV was largely visible. The French car maker, SUVs for a long time remained the toys of the rich class in India. With rapid growth in automobile segment new players have poured into Indian market and the scenario has completely changed the face of automobiles. Today we have compact SUVs and luxury class SUVs offered at prices which are much lower than what used to be few years ago. Most of these vehicles have also succeeded in the market making SUVs popular among the masses.
Renault was one of the first companies which earned the best out of this vacuum in between the segments. It unveiled the Duster in India in July 2012 and the reception was fantastic. More than one year past its launch and Duster continues to have more than 70 percent of Renault’s overall sales. Such has been the influence of this mid-size SUV over Renault’s India portfolio. Mahindra got into the race soon and launched Quanto in September 2012. The vehicle had a good initial reception with more than 10,000 bookings within first 2 months of launch. Although the automobile has not been able to continue with good momentum, Quanto surely opened the doors of compact SUVs for the Mahindra.
On the other hand Ford had its own strategies for India and other growing markets like Brazil and Russia. The EcoSport got launched in India in June 2013 with live coverage videos flowing all over the web. The company had managed to keep the buzz about this compact SUV from more than a year prior to its launch. The automobile truly lived up to the hype it received and the consumer interest over the EcoSport went up to an extent where the company stopped registering bookings for the vehicle because of its limited production capacity. It is to be noted that all three of these superb 5-seater compact SUVs have changed the way how people look at an SUVs in India. Ford EcoSport showed that the comfort of a hatchback and driving nature of an SUV can be fused and offered at price as low as Rs. 5.58 lakh.
Known to be the makers of some of the most affordable and best SUVs in India, Mahindra and Tata have been active on developing luxury class automobiles. Mahindra developed the XUV500 from scratch and delivered it with some high-end technological equipment and luxury features like Satellite Navigation System with touchscreen display, Hill Descent and Hill Hold Control and Electronic Stability Program. The SUV stunned the masses purely through its cheetah inspired design language and its bulky build. The fact that such opulence and beauty of a machine is offered at a price which is much lesser than other SUVs of other global players has made the XUV500 sensational. Tata pit the Aria in the executive class and relied on the long standing Safari platform for its other luxury offering. The upgraded Safari has become the Safari Storme and the product is offered at an initial price of Rs. 9.9 lakh. Although these SUVs from Tata and Mahindra are priced above the compact SUV platform, the products have offered some class-leading features over a 7-seater vehicle with the luxury which was previously a matter of imagination with the Rs. 10 lakh price tag.
Natasha John 