Maruti Suzuki has confirmed that it will launch a compact SUV based on the XA-alpha concept. The Indo-Japanese automaker has revealed this information in its 2015 annual report.The XA-alpha concept was unveiled at the 2012 Auto Expo and is sub-four metre vehicle derived from the Swift platform. It is expected to be offered only with the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine (DDiS 200) and a manual gearbox. However, there will be two petrol-engined versions for export markets.Now, here is something we believe that Maruti Suzuki has in store for this vehicle. It is likely to become a crossover version for the recently christened Baleno hatchback much like how the Hyundai Elite i20 and Hyundai I20 Active work. This vehicle will sit above the Swift and Dzire in Suzuki’s hierarchy and will also overlap with the S-Cross in some of the base versions.Given that Suzuki seems to be on a trip to revive its older brand names, there is a possibility that this vehicle will be called the Samurai after their famous compact two-door jeep that was sold between 1970 and 1995.We can expect to see a production model of this vehicle at the 2016 Auto Expo and most probably a launch at the same time also.
