Was the Celerio X a car ahead of its time by predicting the mini-SUV trend?

The standard Celerio hatchback was launched in 2017 as the Celerio X, a more rugged and SUV inspired version. It was graced with body cladding, roof rails and more aggressive front fascia to look tougher. So at the time, it was a bit of a novelty for entry level to have such styling cues. In recent years, we have seen a slew of 'SUV inspired' small cars, and real mini SUVs like the Maruti S-Presso, Renault Kwid, and Tata Punch make their debut in the market. Some have even gone as far as to argue that the Celerio X was actually ahead of the curve in predicting this trend towards more rugged looking small cars. Some argue that it was just a case of following the fashion of other markets and that the execution wasn’t unique enough to establish itself or its own segment.