Automakers are in the process of tweaking the design, shapes and body styles to inject freshness into SUVs, which after topping the sales charts for several years are now facing sluggish demand.
A body style that is finding favour with several of them is coupé, with Citroen and Tata Motors already launching SUVs with the distinct design feature of the roof sloping steeply towards the rear that so far has been found mostly in luxury vehicles. Mahindra & Mahindra is exploring a coupé version of the XUV7OO SUV and also in its electric vehicle line-up, while Volkswagen as well as Renault have coupé SUVs in their pipelines for India, said people in the know.
Luxury-car makers Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar Land Rover and Porsche already sell coupé SUVs in India.
Buyers often prefer stylish SUVs which stand out among the usual boxy designs, said industry executives.
The coupé versions represent a fusion of style and versatility, appealing to consumers who desire the ruggedness of an SUV with the sleek design of a coupé.
‘Compelling Prices’
“SUV coupés are a growing subset, underlining increasing demand for such sporty looking lifestyle vehicles, high on performance and at the same time practical,” said Santosh Iyer, managing director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India.
Tata Motors is entering the mid-SUV segment, where it has not been present so far, with the coupé styled Curvv, offering buyers an option to choose from electric, petrol or diesel drivetrains. The mid-SUV segment is the fastest growing passenger vehicle segment and had a 16% share of total industry volumes last fiscal year. The introductory price of Rs 17.49 lakh for the electric variant, “we are offering price parity in an EV with other, similar mid-size SUV ICE (fossil fuel-run) counterparts”, said a spokesperson. French automaker Citroen launched the Basalt, its coupé SUV, earlier this month in India at a price starting Rs 7.99 lakh, which its brand director for India, Shishir Mishra, termed as a “very compelling” price.
German luxury-car maker Audi is seeing an increased liking for the Sportback, or coupé, body style for both the Q3 and Q8. “The Sportback body type currently commands a 25-30% share in its model range,” said Balbir Singh Dhillon, head of Audi India.
According to Ravi Bhatia, president of automobile consultancy Jato Dynamics, SUV coupés often sacrifice practicality for style, because of their reduced cargo space and higher price tags. However, the segment's growing popularity suggests that many buyers are willing to make this trade-off, he said.
Younger demographics prefer more stylish SUVs which stand out amongst the more boxy designs and the upgraded features these vehicles offer.The rise of SUV coupes demonstrates that innovation in car design is far from stagnant. As automakers continue to push boundaries, the line between different vehicle categories may become increasingly blurred, offering consumers more choices than ever before, added Bhatia.
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