New Delhi: The new 7-seater SUVs are driving the market in tune with the growing appetite of consumers to spend more and bring in better value. Tata Safari and MG Hector Plus are already there.
Hyundai Alcazar is joining this league of bigger SUVs that would create a niche of vehicles that can carry more people without pitching the pocket.
With Alcazar the South Korean automaker aims to further consolidate its hold on the SUV market without slicing or cannibalizing its existing portfolio.
The older lot of Mahindra combo of XUV500 & Safari, Honda BR-V, Isuzu MUX and Tempo Gurkha couldn’t move the market and the segment has shrunk.
These 7-seaters come in the price of sedans that are fast fading into oblivion, while adding the comfort of high-positioned seating and easy maneuvering on rough Indian roads.
There is a new trend of the bigger SUVs with the evolution of the market and improving sentiments.
“We have noticed the higher propensity to spend on bigger and better vehicles. So, Alcazar was born from a very successful platform and product like Creta. Indian customers are looking for travelling and spending time together that is creating the trend of 7-seater SUVs which offer better value for money and improved features,” Tarun Garg, director — marketing, sales and service, Hyundai Motor India, said.
The rattling is getting hotter with some new offerings from Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Nissan, Skoda, Toyota and a few others. All are in a hot pursuit to catch up with the change.
The 4WD price point
SUV is known for its true blue traits. It is muscular and has the ability to take on every kind of offroading manoeuvres and to handle all roads.
Here comes the shift. India has witnessed a new kind of SUV where the Tata Safari or the Hector Plus comes in the two-wheel drive (as of now) and are driving like modern cars with the agility of sports cars. They aren’t bulky and sluggish on the road, while their ideal weight avoids making them guzzlers.
Indian customers are looking for travelling and spending time together that is creating the trend of 7-seater SUVs which offer better value for money and improved features.Tarun Garg, director — marketing, sales and service, Hyundai Motor India
These are new age vehicles that carry modern turbo engines with high mileage and quick acceleration like a sports car. Take the example of the more recent one,Hyundai Alcazar. It is an upcoming 6 and 7-seater premium SUV with powertrain options which include Nu 2.0 l petrol BS-VI engine and U2 1.5 l diesel BS-VI engine. Both are offered with 6AT and 6MT transmission options, but no four-wheel drive.
Alcazar has been tested on 15-drive tracks for various road driving conditions having full course of durability testing conducted with GVW condition across hilly terrain, rural and highway roads in hot as well as dry conditions.
The price of most of these SUVs starts at about INR15lakh which used to be around INR 25lakh. Most of these carry all-wheel drive options but their expensive price point made them beyond the reach of most of the potential customers.
Now, this scene has changed. A full blown SUV minus the 4-WD comes handy to the customers and makes them enviable to the sedans that carry half their capabilities but are more expensive. Hyundai has not launched the 4WD in any of its SUV models except in the INR 25 lakh ones.
Tata Motors has also moved away from the sluggish 4-WD to the lighter and nimbler two wheeler push in their vehicles in tune with the customer aspirations.
Super strength
Most of the OEMs are utilising advanced welding techniques for building these new age machines. These SUVs are made of high tensile steel for structural rigidity and strength. For example Alcazar comes with 75.6 % Advanced and High-Strength Steel intricately built by over 650 robots.
“We have taken over 12 billion ‘Data Points’ collected annually that were used by more than 100 data scientists on the shop floor to deliver high levels of quality. Over 3 lakh executive man-hours have been devoted to the development of the icon of superior craftsmanship to meet the expectations of the Indian consumer,” Garg added.
Similar works have been done by Tata Motors for its Safari. The new 7-seater Safari is a longer version of the Harrier. Tata has utilised the Land Rover-derived OMEGARC platform that is globally known for its strength and rigidity. And it is powered by a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine that produces 168 BHP and 350 Nm and the SUV is pulled by 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission.
Bigger SUVs under way
Nissan after the success of its compact SUV Magnite is probing options for a bigger class of vehicles from its global portfolio. The stable sales of 4000-plus units have added vigour to its future plans for pricier segments. “There has been a change in the consumer propensity to spend. We have noticed a shift in the people’s mind to opt for more space and comfort where our global SUV might be a perfect fit,” Rakesh Srivastava, managing director, Nissan Motor India, said.
Even the small car specialist companies like Maruti Suzuki are weighing options of graduating to bigger segments to provide upgrading options to families with more money to spend.
Maruti Suzuki Managing Director Kenichi Ayukawa has hinted at bigger vehicles coming from the parent Suzuki stable. “As a growing company catering to virtually all major segments in India, we would also be looking at the bigger vehicle class to evolve as a full scale car maker catering to all kinds of customers,” he said in a recent interaction.
Going on the same lines the newly-appointed Mahindra and Maindra MD Anish Shah has said that the future focus would be on “true blue, larger SUVs” which are core to its long standing heritage and legacy.
Its existing 7-seater models like the XUV500 and Scorpio performs well in the market and the company is planning to unveil its XUV700 concept that would take the portfolio further and expand the market for the erstwhile leader of the Indian SUV market.
