Almost every major manufacturer is joining the electric vehicle bandwagon with either halo products or mass market offerings. While Tata Motors, Hyundai, MG, and Kia have the lead here, one automaker that is yet to make its presence felt is Maruti Suzuki. Customers are eagerly waiting for its mass-market electric offering with ample range and a pocket-friendly price. Now, the Indian auto giant has confirmed that the first Maruti Suzuki EV will arrive in 2025. The model will enter during FY2024-25 and will be manufactured at the company’s facility in Gujarat.
No details are available on what the first Maruti Suzuki EV will be. But it’s not likely to be the WagonR EV that was spotted testing a couple of months ago. What we do know is that the model will be priced above the Rs. 10 lakh mark. Considering how expensive battery technology turns out to be, a sub Rs. 10 lakh EV is a challenge for all players. Offering a product in the Rs. 10+ lakh segment offers more room for Maruti to offer range and performance.
Speculations suggest that the EV will be based on Toyota’s DNGA platform and the upcoming offering will be codeveloped by Maruti and Toyota. Do note that the recently unveiled Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara is based on the said platform and there’s a high possibility that the upcoming EV would be an electrified version of the same. It’s safe to say then that the model is likely to get a Toyota-badged variant as well in the future. The EV could be revealed as a concept first as early as 2023 at the Auto Expo, while the production-spec version will arrive around late 2024.
Rumors suggest battery options include a 48 kWh and a 59 kWh lithium-ion pack, promising a range of 400 km and 500 km respectively. That would be highly impressive numbers as far as range goes and will compete head-on with the likes of the MG ZS EV and the Tata Nexon EV Max. A price tag between Rs. 18-22 lakh would make it accessible and competitive at the same time. Expect the upcoming EV to get all the bells and whistles showcased on the Grand Vitara but Maruti could add a few new features to give the model its own identity.
That said, the Grand Vitara petrol and petrol-hybrid arrive first and will come to the market around September this year. The model will draw power from the 1.5-liter K-Series petrol and the the 1.5-liter DualJet with a Strong Hybrid system. Prices for the petrol version are expected to start from as low as Rs. 9.5 lakh (ex-showroom). Maruti is also planning to bring a Baleno-based crossover to the market and we could learn more about that at the 2023 Auto Expo as well.
