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We’ve seen the crossover and SUV market take off in India of late, and all carmakers want a share of this pie. Especially with prices that are not a far fetch from the regular hatchback. Today, we decided to list out four important concept cars that will be showcased at the Delhi Auto Expo 2016 so that you know what to expect.
Maruti Ignis Last year’s Tokyo Motor Show was where the Ignis was first displayed and when launched in India, will add on to Maruti’s repertoire of crossovers like the S-Cross and the upcoming Vitara Brezza. Maruti’s Ignis is all ready to be unveiled on February 4 at the Nexa media conference and that means the compact crossover could be sold out of the Nexa showrooms along with the Baleno and the S-Cross. The Ignis is 3700mm long, 1660mm wide, 1595mm tall and has a ground clearance of 180mm. Its 258litre boot is better than the Swift’s and the tall-boy design should be able to liberate enough space and headroom for the occupants, just like in the WagonR. Expect the Ignis to get the upcoming Baleno’s 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine along with the DDiS 200 that makes 74bhp. This Maruti may even get to see an AMT box but should otherwise come with the standard five-speed manual gearbox. Maruti could get the Ignis to showrooms by Diwali at around Rs 4.5 to Rs 6 lakh ex-showroom Delhi and will target Mahindra’s KUV100.
Tata Compact SUVTata Motors has been busy building a compact SUV for the Indian market and there are speculations that have suggested that this SUV could be in dealerships in 2017. We can expect Tata Motors to reveal this compact SUV in its concept stages in Delhi. This vehicle should be visually in line with the design cues of the Zest and Bolt, both inside and out, while retaining the proportions of the segment contenders like the EcoSport and TUV300. Attributes of the 1.3-litre multijet diesel that has an output of 90bhp and 200Nm of torque will make its way into this SUV. A 1.2-litre petrol motor, taken from the Zest and Bolt, will probably end up making its 90bhp and 140Nm of torque in this SUV too. Tata’s compact SUV, priced in the range of Rs 6.50 lakh to Rs 10.50 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), will take on the likes of the Ford EcoSport, Mahindra TUV300 and the upcoming Maruti Vitara Brezza.
Beat CrossGM India will reveal the Beat Cross concept at the upcoming 2016 Auto Expo and this vehicle will serve as a crossover based on the next-generation Beat that’s known as the Spark globally. While the new Beat looks promising, you can expect the Beat Cross to take the style quotient to the next level. It gets plastic cladding on the front bumper and similar cladding could find its way on to the rear bumper too. Projector headlamps have been restyled to now incorporate LED DRL strips and the car features roof rails, circular LED fog lamps and a faux aluminium skid plate. Chevrolet may use the same engine from the original hatchback and maybe tune it for better driveability. The Beat Cross will be the first of its kind in its segment and will not have a direct competitor as of now.
Datsun Go-CrossDatsun, the Nissan sub-brand will unveil the Go-Cross in India at the expo. The Go-Cross is based on the Go+ MPV and will more or less have the same proportions. What’s new though is the body kit which may carry shades of silver and grey around the exteriors of the car. Though the car was seen with projector headlamps and LED DRLs, we can safely expect the car to roll off the production line with standard head lamps and the small rear spoiler with those sweet looking C-shaped tail lamps. Though the 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine will be used, this may be the first Datsun car that could be offered with the 1.5-litre dCi diesel engine that powers a variety of Nissan and Renault models. As a vehicle that will slot in above the Go+, a starting price of Rs 4.5 lakh can be presumed.
