At the 2012 Auto Expo, Maruti showcased the XA-Alpha concept - a sub-4 meter compact SUV that was looking to challenge the Ford EcoSport concept which also made its debut at the same show. Fast forward nearly two years and the EcoSport is one of the top 10 best selling cars in India for all months since its launch in June 2013, and waiting periods stretch from 9-12 months.
There seems to be no sign of the Maruti XA-Alpha, and according to a recent report from Financial Express, the launch will not take place even in the later parts of 2014.
Kenichi Ayukawa, Maruti's MD & CEO told Financial Express that it will be very difficult to launch the 'compact SUV' in 2014. As he says that it will not be possible to launch it next year, we have our money on 2015 for the XA-Alpha's introduction.
Maruti seems to be concentrating its efforts on its homemade diesel engines and the first engine, which is believed to be a small, two-cylinder 800cc unit, will debut in the company's first LCV in India (codenamed Y9T). The same engine could be optimized to power the YL7 (next generation Maruti A-Star/Suzuki Alto), which is also looking at a 2014 launch.
Apart from these new products, Maruti will also introduce the YL1 sedan, which is a replacement for the SX4, and models such as the Swift and Dzire could get a minor refresh.
