Vitara, not Vitara Brezza could soon be Maruti Suzuki's main rival to Hyundai Creta

There is speculation that Vitara SUV could be launched in India by end 2019 and would directly take on the likes of Creta, Renault Duster and Nissan Terrano.

Photo courtesy: Suzuki UK

New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki has reportedly been testing its Vitara SUV on Indian roads. The vehicle is bigger in dimensions than the enormously successful Vitara Brezza and could rival Hyundai Creta directly, if and when launched.

Already on roads in several other countries, the Vitara has been spied upon by auto enthusiasts on Indian roads on many occasions. The car definitely bears resemblance to the Vitara Brezza compact SUV but proportionally, is more the size of Creta. It offers more space and in international markets, offers better performance than the Brezza. In the UK for instance, the Vitara is powered by a 1.5-litre diesel engine which churns out 118bhp of power. There is also a 1.6 petrol engine on offer, apart from a 4x4 option. The Creta in India has 1.4 and 1.6-litre diesel engines on offer while there is also a 1.6-litre petrol engine and no 4x4 option. As for Maruti's own Brezza, it is available only in the diesel variant although there is speculation that the company will shortly introduce either a petrol variant or an automatic diesel, or both.

The market for SUVs in India remains extremely competitive with almost every manufacturer vying for a slice in the space. While the Creta has been a runaway success for the Koreans, launch of compact SUVs like Brezza, Mahindra & Mahindra's TUV300 and the facelifted Ford EcoSport continues to pose a major challenge. While Creta is also due for a facelift, the car also faces a challenge from the likes of Jeep Compass and Tata's Hexa which are only slightly higher in the price range but do offer 4x4 options.

Major auto manufacturers are also planning to pepper the SUV segment with more launches in the coming times with Tata H5X, Jeep's Renegade, Volkswagen T-Cross, Honda HR-V, Nissan Kicks and Toyota CH-R being speculated as the next line of SUVs and compact SUV vehicles that buyers here could consider by end 2019.