Reference Auto

A whopping 80% growth in the SUV market in this financial year has prompted Skoda to drive in the Yeti to India at a very competitive price starting at Rs 15.4 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) despite Tata Motors bringing in the Aria and Hyundai the Santa Fe.

Yeti was displayed at the Delhi Auto Expo in January this year. The Yeti has another variant (the high-end) which carries a price tag of Rs 16.6 lakh and sports a 2-litre common rail diesel engine with 140 bhp peak power.

The SUV comes with a 2.0 litre TDI CR engine that offers maximum power of 140 bhp at 4,200 rpm. Owners can expect astounding control over the vehicle, owing to the inclusion of the fully synchronized six-speed manual transmission. The Yeti has a superb mileage of 17.67 kmpl and will be unique from conventional SUVs as it will consume less fuel and have lower emission.

From the front, the Yeti does not look particularly attractive but it does offer the comfort of an SUV on highways. The suspension is not ideal for Indian conditions and bumpy rides on India’s roads can be really uncomfortable. Also, a cursory look may give you the feeling that it is too small for an SUV.

Yeti has already inundated the SUV market and waiting in the wings is Mahindra and Mahindra, which is set to launch its global SUV along with SUVs from Korean company Ssangyong, which Mahindra acquired recently.

But now the question is will all the companies making a beeline for India with their SUVs and crossovers survive in the long run?

Although, it seems that some may have to back out, there is adequate space for the big players, in case they offer feature-rich and swanky looking vehicles. Aggressive pricing in the segment may not be the last word, as car buffs opting for this category come with fat wallets and can easily shell out more for their dream machines.

The SUV market has a litany of price points: from the Scorpio and Safari, which are priced under Rs 10 lakh to the Ford Endeavour, Toyota Fortuner and Skoda Yeti that are priced at Rs 15-20 lakh. Then there is the high-end category, comprising the Audi Q7, BMW X5 and Mercedes GL-Class that come for a cool Rs 60 lakh.

A buoyant Thomas Kuehl, SkodaAuto India’s sales and marketing director said, “We have decided to position the Yeti between the home-grown SUVs and the premium brands to shore up its appeal. We are confident that we will do well and hope to sell at least 400-500 units of the model every month. We have already got booking orders for 1,000 cars.”

With average income of the Indian skyrocketing and road projects ready to be put on the fast lane (India plans to spend $50 billion on roads), SUVs may become the ultimate driving machines and the market may turn red hot in about a three to five years. Like we said, car buffs will be willing to lighten their wallets for their dream machine. Will Skoda Yeti be the one?