After two concepts, Suzuki is now about to give the production version of a new B segment SUV its global debut at October’s Mondial de l’Automobile.

Calling this additional vehicle ‘Vitara’ makes a lot of sense and was in fact rumoured. A ladder-frame SUV of this name was hugely popular in many regions during the 1980s and 1990s.

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Production will be in Hungary, China and India: Magyar Suzuki will make the new model at Esztergom, Changan Suzuki will build it in Chongqing and Maruti Suzuki will manufacture it at one of its plants in the state of Haryana. Maruti Suzuki might also build the new model at its forthcoming plant in Gujarat which is due to open in late 2016 or early 2017.

The Vitara uses the same front- and all-wheel drive architecture as the larger S-Cross. In Europe, the new model will take on the segment leading Opel/Vauxhall Mokka, as well as the Nissan Juke, Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008, the other big hitters in what will soon be a crowded segment.

The Suzuki will reach European showrooms in April/May 2015, and by then, the Jeep Renegade will be established in the market, as will the Ford EcoSport and Fiat 500X. The Mazda CX-3 and other small SUVs and crossovers are also due for launch next year. Volkswagen remains strangely absent from this vehicle class but will enter it with a production version of its Taigun concept.

Maruti gave the first clues about the new Vitara when it displayed the XA Alpha, a concept which looked much like a shrunken Kia Sportage, at the New Delhi Auto Expo in January 2012. Dimensions of the XA concept were quoted as follows: length 4,215 mm; width 1,850mm; height 1,665 mm; wheelbase 2,500mm.

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A second concept, this time called iV-4 (‘individuality’, ‘Vehicle’, ‘4 wheel drive’), debuted at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2013. 

Suzuki is yet to reveal the Vitara’s dimensions, issuing just one image and few other details in its latest media release.