What The Fronx?

Sorry, we couldn't resist that headline. Still, what is the Fronx? Read on

- Pablo Chaterji

The automotive industry is fundamentally about gaps, if you think about it. A manufacturer believes that a certain gap exists in the market, a need that isn't being met. It decides to do something about it and conjures up a product that it believes will fill that gap, and meet that need. Sometimes, what it also wants to do is to create a gap that nobody really thought existed, in order to be seen as a first-mover in that slot. When I chatted with some Maruti Suzuki officials during the Fronx media drive, they said that their belief was that a car was needed to fill the gap between the Baleno ('premium hatchback') and the Brezza ('compact SUV'). They were convinced that there were plenty of prospective buyers out there who wanted something more substantial-looking than a Baleno - but who were also not willing to pay Brezza-levels of money; hence the Fronx, an entry-level SUV'.

Now, is this a case of a genuine market need being met, or of a manufacturer creating a need because it felt like it? I'll leave that to you to decide. I'll also leave it to you to decide what you think 'Fronx' means. Apparently, it's a portmanteau of 'frontier next', which... doesn't make much sense, at least to me. It puts the car in a long and illustrious list of Japanese car names that make you raise an eyebrow Bongo Friendee, Naked, Active Urban Sandal, Mysterious Utility Wizard and many more. Nevertheless, there's no doubt that the name does make you stop and do a double-take, so there's that.