Two of the most promising compact SUVs that are expected to shake up the proceedings in the segment are explained here
Hyundai, the second largest seller of passenger cars in India, competes against Maruti Suzuki in most of the affordable volume segments. Back in October 2018, Hyundai resurrected the Santro nameplate as it wanted to further expand its reach and appeal for more first-time buyers on the back of Eon enduring consistent drop in sales.
The South Korean auto major can be credited with making the premium hatchback segment all its own with the Elite i20 and it made Maruti Suzuki sensing a big opportunity with the Baleno. The first true success from Nexa has delivered beyond expectations for Maruti Suzuki and was outselling the Elite i20 with sizeable gap throughout 2018 unlike the nip-and-tuck battle seen in 2017.
Hyundai earlier admitted that the void created by the old i10 in the mid-compact car segment was so huge that only the newly launched Santro would fulfil its absence. In a similar case, the brand is addressing the glaring vacancy in the sub-four-metre space with a compact SUV that will more likely carry production name Styx.
Hyundai Styx (Qxi)
Codenamed QXi, it was previewed through Carlino concept back in February 2016 but a whole lot of things have changed over the last three years including Hyundai adapting an ever-evolving design language to its models in India as well as globally. The Styx is a global SUV targetting volume sales with India playing an integral part in its development.
It is expected to be powered by 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines. Both the all-new powertrains are believed to be mated to either a manual or an AMT transmission and should be good enough to produce more than 110 PS maximum power. Hyundai’s signature theme of packing its models with long features list at an aggressive price range could also be witnessed in the Styx.
We reckon the Styx to be priced in the region of Rs. 6.5-11 lakh (ex-showroom) and the probability of it making debut in the 2019 New York Auto Show in April is high before going on sale around mid-2019 in India.
Mahindra XUV300
The Hyundai Styx will not only have to compete in a highly competitive SUV segment against Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon and Ford EcoSport but also against a brand new rival in Mahindra XUV300. Scheduled to go on sale in the middle of February, the XUV300 is based on the X100 platform that also underpins SsangYong Tivoli.
Designed on the same lines of the bigger XUV500, as evident from the grille and flowing DRLs, the XUV300 promises to make a strong impact in the segment with a powerful engine lineup and a slew of segment-first features including seven airbags, dual-zone automatic climate control, and disc brakes on all four wheels.
It boasts the torquiest engines in its class as the 1.5-litre diesel engine from Marazzo has confirmed to produce 300 Nm and the 1.2-litre turbo petrol will make 200 Nm. To likely be priced between Rs. 7.5 lakh and Rs. 12 lakh (ex-showroom), it will go as far as rivalling the entry-level variants of Hyundai Creta. Mahindra has pinned plenty of hopes with the XUV300 and the monocoque SUV has all the ingredients to deliver.