Last week, Fiat’s authorised distributor in the domestic market Life Automobiles launched a CUV built on its Punto Evo platform named Avventura. This is one of the cheaper crossovers available in the market with a starting price of Rs2.99 million. The top variant of the Avventura costs Rs4.09 million.

“Customers who want to upgrade from a hatchback or sedan but cannot afford an SUV are going for CUVs these days,” said Suraj Manandhar, business head of the company. Last month, Laxmi Intercontinental, the authorised distributor of Hyundai in Nepal, rolled out the i20 Active. Built on its i20 hatchback platform, it comes in 1.4 litre diesel and 1.2 litre petrol engine options. The starting price for the petrol variant is Rs3.25 million. The diesel version of the i20 Active is priced between Rs3.75 million and Rs4.35 million.

“People wanting to buy SUV-styled vehicles but with a lower price tag are going for crossovers, and the response to the recently launched i20 Active has been so great that there is a one-month waiting list,” said Rupesh Sharma Bhatta, assistant general manager of Laxmi Intercontinental. The company said it received more than 70 bookings within two weeks.

The Volkswagen Cross Polo was the first crossover to hit Nepali roads. It was built on the Polo platform. “There is a growing passion for SUV styling vehicles among Nepalis, and we launched an updated petrol version of the Cross Polo a few months ago,” said Bibek Bijukchhe, chief executive officer of Pooja International, the authorised distributor of Volkswagen in Nepal. Although the company had launched a diesel version of the Cross Polo last year, only one petrol variant of the facelifted vehicle is available in the domestic market. It has a price tag of Rs3.54 million.

Elated by the response to the petrol version of the Etios Cross launched at the Nada Auto Show last year, Toyota rolled out a diesel version last month. “Following the overwhelming response to the Etios Cross petrol, we have brought out a diesel version too,” said Mahesh Kumar M, general manager of United Traders Syndicate, the authorised distributor of Toyota in Nepal.

He added that customers were searching for vehicles that feature sporty looks and are easy to drive and fuel efficient. According to him, around 25 units of the Etios Cross have been sold in the domestic market monthly. “Improved fuel efficiency, ease of city and off-road driving and sporty looks are some of the reasons why crossovers are becoming popular among consumers,” he said. The price of the Etios Cross starts at Rs4.14 million. Maruti Suzuki’s authorised distributor in Nepal, CG MotoCorp, is also planning to unveil the S-Cross crossover next month. The vehicle launched in India recently.