Renault Duster is Here, What Next?

Recent launch of the all new Renault Duster has commenced an all new segment, the compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) or the compact crossover in the Indian automobile market. And the grand opening of the Duster must have surely inspired other car makers to now bring in more such models to try their luck in the newly formed segment. Although the segment is not very new to the Indian market, there are a lot of luxury car makers, who brought their compact SUVs earlier, Audi Q3 is one such latest example. But what makes them different is the pricing, where the Renault has initiated an affordable Compact SUV segment, on the other hand cars like Audi Q3 and BMW X1 are mainly the luxury compact crossovers.

Skoda Yeti sitting between the affordable compact SUV and the Luxury SUV, is the car that we can call a proper Compact crossover, which was launched during the festive season, last year. The Yeti has got no competition as such, but seeing the rising demand of such vehicles, we can expect some more coming against it. What makes these compact SUVs so appealing is the fact that they have smartly managed to position themselves between the entry-level sedan and the SUVs, thus are affordable in price yet more spacious. So families belonging to the middle class who somehow collect the dare to either go for top-end hatch or an entry-level sedan, can now bring home these family SUVs.

Except the Duster, there are a few more compact SUVs lined up, which are to hit the Indian shores in the coming months, so we bring to you a list of those upcoming ones.

Nissan's Version of the Renault Duster

CarDekho has reported this earlier as well, that Nissan Motor Company's Indian subsidiary is planning to come up with the re-badged version of the Duster along with some minor cosmetic changes, rest other features are expected to be the same. However the price have not been revealed yet, our sources suggest that the price will either be at par or it might go a little higher. Renault-Nissan JV has done it before as well with the Micra-Pulse, next on the cards are Renault's version of the Sedan Sunny other than the 'Nissan's Duster'.

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Ford EcoSport

Ford EcoSport is the other compact SUV, which according to us will have a neck to neck competition with the Duster. Great at looks, impressive with the mileage and almost similar at pricing are the factors, which make the coming EcoSport a captivating one. This India-made vehicle is expected to be priced between Rs 7.0 lakh and 9.0 lakh. We are expecting this to come in both diesel and petrol engine options. Ford is planning to bring in housing the award winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine, which is by far the best in the class and garnered awards after awards on its superamcy.

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Premier Rio Diesel

Premier Rio, which is already in the market with 6 variants, comprising 3 petrol and 3 diesel is in the headline again, for bringing in one more diesel variant, which will be a BS IV compliant so that it might now be launched in the tier 1 cities as well, where the compact SUV segment has been doing well. Since it is the cheapest SUV so far in the Indian market, the coming diesel variant too will be in an affordable price range.

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Maruti Suzuki XA Alpha

India's largest selling car-maker, Maruti Suzuki has also showcased its compact SUV, the XA Alpha at the this year's Auto Expo, held in Delhi. This much awaited concept SUV will be a five-seater, under 4-meter length. Since it is just a concept at the moment, so commenting on other things will not feasible, but we are sure that Maruti Suzuki will bring it in the affordable price.

Other than the above mentioned, there are other Compact SUVs as well, which are lined-up for India, so check this space for more updates on them.

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