Auto Expo 2018: Maruti to take on Kwid with compact SUV Concept Future-S

The compact vehicle, with its SUV stance, will compete against Renault's Kwid, as well as the Mahindra KUV100

Maruti Suzuki, the country’s biggest car maker, showcased its Concept Future-S car at the opening day of the Auto Expo here. The compact vehicle, with its SUV stance, will compete against Renault’s most successful product in the country, the Kwid, as well as the KUV100 from the house of Mahindra. 

Launched in 2015, the Renault Kwid has seen sales of over 200,000 units, making it one of the most successful small cars in recent years. At one point, the Kwid was seen as a strong competition to Maruti’s Alto. However, the Kwid volumes have come under pressure of late. It is believed that Maruti Suzuki worked on this Concept Future-S after the success of Kwid.

“Compact is the natural choice of India’s car customers. They want the compact vehicle design to now break from the conventional. It is an answer to the concerns of congestion and emission. Nearly 75 per cent of passenger vehicles bought in India are small and compact ones. Such vehicles are also at the core of our company’s product philosophy,” said Kenichi Ayukawa, managing director & chief executive officer, Maruti Suzuki, after unveiling the concept here. 

Compact cars need a fresh design language, one that is bold, dynamic, convenient, stylish and confident, he added. “Our designers have created this unique, striking new design in Concept Future-S. Nothing like this has ever been attempted before on a vehicle of this size,” claimed Ayukawa. The company believes this vehicle has a potential to re-define the design of next generation compact vehicles in India.

Designed in-house by Maruti Suzuki, the Concept Future-S epitomises the next level of design evolution in terms of proportions, body sculpting and stimulating fusion of bold patterns and superior accent colors. Smartly integrating SUV features in compact dimensions without disturbing the proportions, the Concept Future-S marks a step up in the design language.  

“Smartly integrating SUV features in compact dimensions without disturbing the proportions, Concept Future-S marks a step up in design language,” the company said. 

Managing SUV characters in compact proportions is a tough task that the designers have successfully achieved, lending the Concept Future-S a confident stance and an unmistakable SUV character, the company added. 

Ayukawa said the company was making investments in its Rohtak R&D facility to introduce latest technologies and a higher level of localisation. “Safety and environment are firmly on the national automobile agenda, for which our R&D centre will also play a vital role,” he said.

“We are on course to convert our large portfolio of products to meet BS-VI emission standards in time for the advanced deadline of 2020,” Ayukawa added.