Micro SUV segment – What do we know till now?
Carmakers have to make cars which are in demand and can bring them business. This is the main concept behind the development of new segments. Brands evaluate what the mass customers demand or wish for, and if they believe it is feasible, they proceed with it. This is why we are seeing a sudden boom in demand for SUVs in the country.
SUVs give you a feel which segments like hatchbacks and sedans can never give. You sit tall, gaining a commanding position on the car as well as the road. Moreover, a higher seating position also affects the psychology, giving the driver & passengers a sense of pride. Not just this; SUVs ooze a massive road presence and also are capable of handling bad patches very well. All these elements come together to explain the craze of SUVs among buyers these days. This is the main reason why sedans have started losing their grip over the market and the SUV segment has been constantly flourishing. With all that being said, SUVs come at a high cost, which deprives many customers of experiencing what it feels like to be seated inside one. Carmakers understood this and segments like compact SUVs & micro SUVs were born. In today’s article, we will discuss the micro SUV segment and discuss what we know about it till now.
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What are micro SUVs?
Micro SUVs are cars that carry a tall-boy design but are based on their cousin hatchback’s platform. They carry a length similar to that of a hatchback but take the lead when it comes to height & ground clearance. With a tall height, they are partially capable of giving the feel of an SUV, if not fully. With a higher seating position, the aforementioned factors come into play. Also, a higher ground clearance makes them easy to take on bad patches without having to worry about scraping the underbelly of the car. Other than these factors, they are very similar to a hatchback that falls in the vicinity of their price bracket. The engine options are kept similar to regular hatchbacks, contrary to what a customer would expect seeing ‘SUV’ as a part of the segment name. Thus micro SUVs are basically feel-good cars that other than high seating and improved ground clearance, are regular hatchbacks on the inside. This is the reason why they are priced close to hatchbacks from which they have been derived.
What about micro SUVs in India?
Looking at the above description, it becomes safe to say that cars like Maruti Ignis, Honda WR-V and Ford Freestyle are in a sense, micro SUVs. They sit on platforms that have been derived from hatchbacks but successfully offer the practicality of an SUV. Mahindra KUV100, however, perfectly fits the role of a micro SUV, officially kick-starting the segment in the country back in 2016. Currently, two more competitors, viz. Tata HBX and Hyundai AX1 are set to launch in the coming time and will carry the segment further. Other than these two, we expect Maruti to bring its true micro SUV into the competition in the coming time as well.
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