India’s largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki will launch the much-anticipated SX4 S-Cross Crossover in the country in January 2015. The company is also planning to launch the refreshed Alto K10 and Dzire in next 2 months. Reports suggest that the company has started the development work of the XA Alpha concept based SUV, which is likely to go on sale in the Indian market by the end of 2015.
The XA Alpha based compact SUV was unveiled at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo. Just like Swift Dzire, the XA Alpha compact SUV will be specifically designed for the Indian car market. The sub-4 metre SUV is likely to sport more modern exterior styling. There will be component sharing with other Maruti’s including Swift and Ertiga to keep cost down. It will compete against the likes of Ford EcoSport, Renault Duster, and upcoming sub-4 metre SUVs from Volkswagen and Honda. The vehicle would share its petrol engine with Swift that means a 1.2-litre K12 unit, while the diesel engine would be the all-new 1.5-litre engine from Fiat. The new 1.5-litre Multi-Jet motor will be a downsized version of the 1.6-litre motor, which will allow the manufacturer to price the SUV competitive in the market.
India’s largest car manufacturer doesn’t have much presence in the SUV/Crossover segment and is now aiming to increase the market share with S-Cross SX4 and XA Alpha.
