Suzuki XA Alpha Concept

Maruti Suzuki, the Japanese manufacturer's Indian arm, has unveiled a Juke-sized SUV concept called the XA Alpha at the Delhi Motor Show. 

Based on the platform of the Suzuki Swift, the XA Alpha measures in at 4 metres in length, and would sit somewhere between the Jimny and Grand Vitara in Suzuki’s current SUV line-up. 

Visually, the newcomer gets a rugged front-end, bulging wheelarches and the raked, narrow window-line familiar to Swift drivers.

Models like the XA Alpha are part of a burgeoning market in India, and Maruti Suzuki will be hoping to cement its place as India’s number one manufacturer by striking early. It won’t have the market all to itself though, with Ford’s Fiesta-based EcoSport also on the way.

Powertrain details are unclear at the moment, but if the XA Alpha does make production it will likely be powered by the 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre diesel engines found in the Swift. A four-wheel-drive system – also developed for the Swift and sold in Europe – will be fitted.