Maruti Suzuki is aiming for a significant transformation to transition away from conventional petrol (ICE) vehicles by 2030-31. While the company’s existing product portfolio is predominantly gasoline-based, the new strategy will signify a drastic shift in the coming years. The Indo-Japanese automaker plans to expand its eco-friendly vehicle range by introducing BEVs (battery electric vehicles), flex-fuel cars, strong hybrids, CNG, and CBG (compressed biogas) vehicles. According to recent media reports, the company will develop its own series hybrid powertrain (HEV) to power its mass-market products, including the Fronx facelift and the new-gen Baleno.
In addition to this, the Indo-Japanese automaker will also incorporate Toyota’s strong hybrid powertrain into some of its upcoming new models, including a premium three-row SUV. The new Maruti Suzuki 7-seater SUV (codenamed – Y17) will be based on the Grand Vitara, sharing its platform, features, components, and powertrain with its donor model.
The carmaker has high expectations for this new SUV, positioning it against competitors such as the Hyundai Alcazar, Tata Safari, Mahindra XUV700, Citroen C3 Aircross, MG Hector Plus, and the upcoming new-gen Renault Duster. The company anticipates retailing around 2 lakh units of the new 7-seater SUV in its first year of production, including 45,000 units from the hybrid version alone. It will be manufactured at Maruti Suzuki’s new Kharkhoda facility.
As mentioned earlier, the new Maruti Suzuki 7-seater SUV will be based on the global C platform and will come equipped with the 1.5L K15C petrol mild hybrid and 1.5L Atkinson cycle strong hybrid powertrains. The strong hybrid version is expected to deliver a peak power of 115bhp and a fuel efficiency of 27.97kmpl. In terms of pricing, the premium SUV is estimated to cost around Rs 15 lakh for the entry-level variant and Rs 25 lakh for the top-end variant.
Further details on the upcoming Maruti 7-seater SUV will be unveiled in the near future, stay tuned to IndiaCarNews for updates.
