Sports Utility Vehicle

Compact Suvs Come Calling
Small is in. That is probably the mantra being followed by most auto majors in the country. First it was just about small hatchback cars but it seems that the small bug has bitten the SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) segment too! For now we are hearing of a number of compact SUVs hitting the market soon. The news is that Mahindra and Mahindra has decided to come up withanew generation compact SUV.
Industry insiders are speculating a five-seater compact SUV most probably priced between Rs 4-6 lakh by 2012. Other speculated specifications include a 1.2 litre petrol
engine, less than four meters of length and a new monocoque platform to increase fuel efficient lower weight by 10-15 per cent. While the 1.5 litre would be made in-house talks about sourcing the petrol from Renault are on, claim sources. Industry sources say M&M will invest between Rs 400-500 crore in the compact SUV.

There are at least two other compact SUVs on the horizon by carmakersToyotaand Skoda. But none of the two seems to be as competitively priced as the one being designed by Mahindra. However, theToyotaAvanzathat is expected to be positioned below the ToyotaInnova and is likely to be a sort of mini Innova comes close. The car is already present in theThailandmarket of the company and is being expected inIndiafor a long time. There has been no official announcement but the MUV (Multi Utility Vehicle) is expected to be priced between Rs 6 8 lakh with a 1495cc engine also present in the Thailand model. This 1.5L petrol engine consists of 4 cylinders and DOHC 16 valve matted with VVTi technology.
Lastly,we have Skoda Yetithat is also being hailed as a compact SUV but does not quite fit into the same segment and price tag as the above two. Witha highly speculated (read unofficial) price tag of approximatelyRs 12-15 lakh theYetiis definitely falls in the high-end segment.The car is expected to have a 2.0L, 1968cc, Turbo Charged diesel engine with 5-speed manual transmission gearbox that produces maximum power of 110PS at 4200rpm with 250Nm of maximum torque at 1500-2500rpm. The 6-speed manual transmission gearbox in the 2.0L diesel engine type with advanced Haldex clutch is capable of producing 140PS of maximum power at 4200rpm with 320Nm of maximum torque at 1750-2500rpm.