Hot SUVs all revved up

Get ready for a slew of SUVs over the next few months.

Hot SUVs all revved up

Get ready for a slew of SUVs over the next few months.

And why not? While the domestic automobile industry is decelerating at 2 per cent, the premium sports utility vehicle segment is said to be growing at a rate of 38 per cent compared to the previous year.

So, it makes good business sense to roll 'em out. And that's what auto majors are doing. Even high-endu00a0 carmakers like Mercedes, Volkswagen, Audi and Volvo have lined up over 15 premium SUVs for launch.

Shekar, a team leader with Nandi Toyota, said: "The response is very good. With bookings open, we have already had over a hundred for Fortuner."

Hyundai will try its luck with Santa Fe after a rather dismal opening for the earlier launches of Tucson and Terracan.

Nandini, an executive with Vinayak Skoda, said, "Skoda Yeti will be Skoda's SUV. This will have a Volkswagen engine and is expected early next year."
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Toyota's RAV4, Nissan's Murano and Qazana, Tata's Indicruz and Volkswagen's Tiguan will be launched in the next six months while Ford has its under-development automatic transmission version of SUV Endeavour with an active shift-on-the-fly mechanism ready to roll in sometime. The launch dates, however, are still under wraps.

High-end carmakers are also in the fray Mercedes with its GL-class, Audi with Q7V12 and Volvo with its XC60.

What makes them tick

Experts attribute the unprecedented growth in the SUV segment to the comfort, luxury and cost factor.
According to M R Indresh, an automobile expert, "Options like four-wheel drive, transmission control module, voice-basedu00a0 destination input control and traffic-based navigation are available in some of these SUVs.

Moreover,u00a0 SUVs ranging from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 90 lakh give customers a wide range of options."

What they cost
Mercedes Benz GL class: Rs 75-90 lakh
Audi Q7V12: Rs 1.5 crore
Toyota Fortuner: Rs 20 lakh
Skoda Yeti (basic model): Rs 10 lakh
Volvo XC60: Rs 30 lakh
Nissan Murano: Rs 40 lakh
Hyundai Santa Fe: Rs 25 lakh

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