Alternate fuel cars and small SUVs will be the dictum in 2012.- See the trends .

Alternate fuel cars and small SUVs will be the dictum in 2012.-See the trends .

Some amazing alternate fuel cars recentlydisplayed at the Auto Expo indicate that domestic and foreign auto makers arebecoming seriously concerned about the availability and prices of auto fuels.Unfortunately, electric and hybrid vehicles are expensive and a littleimpractical while fuel cell and hydrogen cars are still a rather distant dream.The big investments in these technologies, however, show that the industry isgearing up for a, not too distant, time when petrol and diesel will become soexpensive that alternative propulsion will become attractive.

India�s car demand remainsstrong, despite the Maruti strike that affected the industry last year and theaverage buyer is getting younger (30) every year. We will, therefore, see moredemand for small SUVs like the Premier Rio and the soon-to-be-launched FordEcoSport or Maruti XA alpha. Sports cars may also grow and the new BMW mini islikely to attract many competitors. Though luxury cars are growing at a furiousspace, the success of the quite affordable BMW X1 has attracted competitionfrom the new Audi Q3. A beautiful Mercedes A Classe will soon follow.

Buyers today are confused by the bewilderingchoice of cars with new models being launched almost every week so they are inno hurry to get themselves a new set of wheels. They are also beginning to realisethat every modern car is reliable and fuel efficient so their main concerns areservice, spares and resale prices. They are, however, seriously concerned abouttraffic congestion and the universal shortage of parking space. This iscreating a demand for large hatchbacks like the Hyundai i20, Nissan Micra,Renault Pulse and slightly smaller ones like the Maruti Swift and Ritz, FiatPunto, Ford Figo and Tata Indica.