The compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) segment in the country will see two new entrants added in the second half of 2010. These include the Skoda Auto India’s Yeti and the BMW X1. The vehicles were unveiled by the companies at the ongoing 10th Auto Expo on Tuesday. However, they are yet to get rolling on the Indian roads with makers launching them not before the end of this year.
Though compact SUV segment is more of a European terminology and the said products will differ in the price segment and target audience, of late the overall compact SUV segment has been gathering momentum in the Indian market. Now say it love for SUVs by Indian customers or car companies looking at products at every level in the segment, the vehicles including Nissan new X-Trail, Audi Q5, Mitsubishi Outlander and Honda new CR-V, to name a few have set the ball rolling for the segment.
Rakesh Batra, partner and national automotive leader, Ernst & Young India said, ?There is a market for SUVs in India but will it make a larger part of the overall market is difficult to say. The car makers are looking at offering range of products catering to every segment.?
According to auto experts, Yeti is expected to be priced around Rs 15-26 lakh and BMW X1 at around Rs 20-25 lakh bracket. Indicating that the launch of Yeti is one of the drivers to lead the company to a market share of 10%-15% in the SUV market, Reinhard Fleger, board of director responsible for sales and marketing, Skoda Auto said, ?We expect India to climb up the ladder from 11th position to come into the top five position for Skoda globally.? ?We will have more engine and model line options next year on Yeti. We are also looking at a smaller diesel and petrol engine option on Yeti as well,? said Thomas Kuehl, board member, sales and marketing, Skoda Auto India. BMW X1 also will come through CKD route and assembled at the company?s plant in Chennai.