Sales of sports utility vehicles have been growing at a fast clip in India and companies are leaving no stone unturned to grab a larger share of the pie. Even as the COVID-19 pandemic hit auto industry in 2020, SUV sales saw a strong rebound as the lockdown restrictions were eased.
In November, for instance, SUV sales accelerated 17 per cent to 1.03 lakh units, even as car sales dipped three per cent. Over April-November, 5.56 lakh UVs were sold, down 12 per cent from a year ago, but still better than the 26 per cent slump in car sales in the same period.
Several SUVs launched last year—from Hyundai’s new Creta, Kia Sonet, Mahindra Thar and the latest Nissan Magnite—got a bumper response from customers. The Magnite, for instance, got 32,800 bookings in just one month. Mahindra’s offroad SUV Thar got 6,500 bookings in December and has a fairly long waiting list.
As we drive into 2021, the competition is only going to heat up further, with at least six new SUVs slated to be launched in a month and more to follow later in the year.
On Wednesday, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, launched the new refreshed Fortuner SUV at prices starting Rs 29.98 lakh ex-showroom for the petrol manual variant and stretching up to Rs 37.43 lakh for the four-wheel drive diesel automatic variant. It also introduced the Legender variant of the Fortuner, which is targeting the more style conscious customers, and will cost Rs 37.58 lakh ex-showroom for the sole two-wheel drive diesel automatic variant.
Fortuner has found strong traction in India since it was launched in 2009 and is the market leader in the premium SUV space, with sales of 1.70 lakh units till date.
Changes in the Fortuner include a new front grille, new headlamp design, a new touchscreen audio system with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, premium JBL speakers, variable flow control power steering among other things.
“A key addition to the new Fortuner and Legender is connected technology that enables features like geo-fencing, real-time tracking and last parked location,” said Naveen Soni, senior vice president at Toyota Kirloskar Motor.
It will be available with a 2.8 liter diesel engine or 2.7 liter petrol engine mated to a automatic or manual transmission.
Production and bookings for the new Fortuner have now begun and sales are also expected to start soon.
With three new products in the SUV space–Fortuner, Innova and Urban Cruiser (the later is based on Maruti Suzuki’s Vitara Brezza)–Toyota is hopeful of a much better drive in 2021, than the last.
“The demand, order flow is looking positive and things should look much better now,” Soni said.
Toyota is not the only company geared to hit the road with new SUVs. The facelifted version of MG (Morris Garage’s) successful Hector SUV is launching on Thursday, January 7 as is the facelifted version of the Jeep Compass.
The Hector is set to feature a new front grille, alloy wheels and updated interiors among other things. Later, a seven seater variant of the Hector is also expected to be launched.
Later this month, on January 28, Renault will globally premier the Kiger compact SUV in India.
“A collaboration between the corporate design teams in France and Renault India design, Renault KIGER will be the third global car from Groupe Renault to be launched in India first, followed by other markets,” the company said.
Tata Motors is bringing back the iconic Safari brand with its forthcoming flagship SUV (codenamed Gravitas) and bookings for the same will also open this month.
“The Safari, an iconic brand with a strong following, has been the most sought-after SUV on Indian roads for well over two decades. In its new avatar, the Safari will appeal to the socially active, fun loving customers who seek out unique experiences and adventure. We are confident that the launch of the Safari will once again re-energise the market, amplifying its cult status,” said Shailesh Chandra, president, passenger vehicles business unit at Tata Motors on Wednesday.
Tata Motors saw passenger vehicles sales surge 84 per cent last month to 23,545 units aided by the success of its new launches like Nexon compact SUV, Nexon EV and the Altroz hatchback.
Tata’s homegrown rival Mahindra, meanwhile, is gearing up to launch the all new version of its successful XUV500 premium SUV later this year. Mahindra’s other hugely successful product, the Scorpio SUV, will also be seen a new avatar in 2021.
The competition in the compact SUV space will also go up a notch with German car giant Volkswagen all set to debut the Taigun in India this year. This will be the first product based on Volkswagen’s MQB-AO-IN platform, a made for India platform based on its successful MQB platform available globally and therefore will be a key product for the company.
This will also be a debut for another European car maker in India, Citroen; its premium C5 Aircross SUV, which will be assembled here, is set for an unveil next month.
