Despite the global trend of SUVs and GST 2.0 era, hatchbacks will maintain their market relevance across the auto industry, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) said.
“This ‘SUVisation’ of the industry is happening throughout the world. It is not because India has bad roads…this whole thing about SUVs is not going to go away. It is going to be there for quite some time to come,” FADA President CS Vigneshwar said.
He also added that while SUVs give a purpose of comfort, style and safety, “hatches will have their own space because some people still want the hatches”.
Vigneshwar said many car makers are still offering multiple products in small car segment which in turn keep the market alive through competition unlike in the mid-size sedan segment, which has been squeezed.
“SUVs in every category, and hatchbacks in one or two categories, you will have literally every OEM with multiple products sometimes. So, this is going to happen. Hatches will exist, and SUVs will exist,” Vigneshwar said.
India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India, which grabs a top position in the small car segment, expects about 10 per cent growth in the segment after the GST rate reduction, its rival Hyundai Motor India feels that micro SUVs like Exter and Punch will grow at the cost of hatchbacks as consumer preference has evolved.
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