MOVING UPWARDS

With the Invicto, Maruti Suzuki is leapfrogging into a new segment, one that it has not competed in ever before. Question is, is the Invicto a nice enough package for customers to accept a premium Maruti Suzuki?

- ISHAN RAGHAVA

One of the problems of being the biggest mass-market automotive player in the Indian market is that eventually you get pigeonholed as a brand with regards to the price points and segments that you can compete in. This is a problem that Maruti Suzuki has been dealing with for a long time, and while they have massive dominance in segments where the vehicles are priced below twenty lakh, it’s previous attempts to move above that segment were abject failures. However, over the past decade, the brand has made major leaps in market acceptance when it comes to higher-priced vehicles and the creation of the premium ‘Nexa’ brand has also made certain in-roads into segments where the company was not successful before.

However, with the Invicto, Maruti Suzuki is dealing in a segment it has never been before. And secondly, it is going to face formidable competition from the Toyota Innova Hycross, which is a segment in itself. So, how does Maruti’s latest offering fare in the market? Let’s find out.

SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT 

Well, before any of you shout at me for the above comment about the Innova Hycross, yes, let me state the obvious and admit that essentially, other than new lights and changed bumpers and a different interior colour, the Invicto is just the Innova Hycross is slightly different clothing. Sure, you’ll notice the exclusive Nexa Blue colour that the Invicto is offered in, but other than that the car is the same.