Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza Will Be a Subcompact SUV

The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is being touted by many as the Creta rival, and yes it will be that. But the truth is that the Hyundai Creta is bigger, and as I've already reported to you, Hyundai is also going to show us a younger sibling to the Creta that will occupy less than a 4-metre footprint. So the Vitara Brezza will really go after the Ford EcoSport, as will Hyundai's Grandi10/Xcent based subcompact SUV.

The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is a first in many ways. It will not be the first time Suzuki has made a really compact SUV, but it will be its Indian subsidiary's first foray into the subcompact SUV world. The Vitara Brezza will be under 4 metres in length after all. It will also be the first time that Maruti Suzuki will look for significant volume from a car other than a hatch or sedan. And most significant? It is the first product in the company's history (Suzuki and Maruti Suzuki both) that the Chief Engineer for the project is from the subsidiary. The man in question is C V Raman - the R&D head and long time employee at Maruti Suzuki.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza Sketch Revealed; Will Debut at 2016 Delhi Auto Expo

I first had the chance to truly interact with the soft-spoken and immensely pleasant engineer when Maruti launched the Swift in India over 10 years ago. At the time, Raman did not head R&D for Maruti, but was a very crucial cog in that department. And it is really under his watch that the company has made the transition from being inward looking to outward - truly more global - in terms of product, technology and strategy. From going bigger on diesel (and even developing its own diesel engine), to AMT and automatics in general, and even putting emphasis on areas like safety and design, Maruti has sure come a long way since then. I am not putting all the credit for all of that at Raman's door, but he certainly deserves some of it.

So now I look forward to not just the Auto Expo unveiling of the Vitara Brezza, but also driving it, as I suspect it will become one of the most important new launches of the year - just like its sibling the Baleno was in 2015. Maruti will also show us the larger Vitara and the Ignis at the Auto Expo, which will have a similar positioning to the newly launched Mahindra KUV100. So like Hyundai, it seems that 2016 could well be the year of the SUV for Maruti Suzuki as well! We certainly aren't complaining as it means ever more choice for you.

Also Read: Mahindra KUV100 Launched at Rs 4.42 Lakh; Bookings Open on carandbike.com