The humble car as we know it now appears to be fighting a rearguard action against an onslaught of sports utility vehicles.

The introduction of crossovers has been relentless over the last three years, and it shows little signs of slowing down.

The ordinary hatchback and simple saloon could soon fade into the background as the off-road look becomes de rigueur for today’s designer-led society.

More and more British drivers are seeing the more functional, car-like drive of the crossover as better suited to their motoring needs, and they’re not that expensive when compared with the prices of luxury versions of smaller cars.

The chance of having a hunkier motor for the price of a premium family car is obviously paying dividends for the makers, so even some of their more standard offerings are getting muscular makeovers.

Skoda has just come up with a cracking new take on the Fabia, and called it the Scout.

The firm’s Roomster and Octavia have already enjoyed the bolder Scout treatment, and the supermini Fabia version will go on show at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland early in March.

Body protection, roof rails and the appearance of a much taller car help set the Scout apart from its Fabia siblings, and two petrol and two diesel engines will be offered as power choices when it arrives in Britain this May.

Skoda will tell us what this new Scout will cost at the Geneva unveiling.

The Hyundai range, meanwhile, is already flush with off-roaders, but the firm will deliver yet another one at the same Swiss event.

The concept ix-onic (say ik-sonnik) is aimed at culling more crossover business, says Hyundai, because it is specifically designed to change the way drivers think about such compact 4x4s.

Assertive, and not aggressive, is the new vehicle’s design stance says Hyundai of its Ford Focus-sized concept.

It was put together by the firm’s design team in Russelsheim, Germany, with the emphasis on an athletic, sophisticated look, accentuated by its dynamic and flowing lines.

The ix-onic’s glass lines are dramatic and there’s muscular, double-zigzag wheel arches that wrap around the 21-inch alloy wheels.

The rear window has been made with high-performance plastic, instead of conventional glass, to enable the concept’s stylists to give it a more three-dimensional shape.

On each side of the rear window there’s a vertical spoiler to reduce drag.

The ix-onic is powered by a 1.6-litre, 167bhp turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, with a stop-and-go system plus a double-clutch six-speed gearbox.

Intelligent four-wheel drive helps put power down onto tarmac, and the eco-friendly engine emits just 149 g/km of CO2 – impressive for an SUV.

The ix-onic is seen as the replacement for the current Tucson 4×4, but Hyundai has yet to reveal when the car will reach the UK.