Maruti Ertiga sells nearly DOUBLE of the Toyota Innova Crysta: XL6 effect?

Dispatch numbers from July 2019 reveal that the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga MPV has sold a whopping 9,222 units, beating the Toyota Innova Crysta by a big margin. The Innova Crysta, in comparison, sold only 4,865 units even as Toyota, like other automakers in India, is battling a steel sales slowdown. While the Maruti Ertiga’s year-on-year sales have registered a whopping 94 % increase, that of the Toyota Innova Crysta has actually fallen by 27 %.

So, what explains the Ertiga’s phenomenal sales numbers at a time when car makers are really struggling to move stock? Well, one word, XL6. Maruti has already begun dispatching the Ertiga-based XL6 luxury MPV to NEXA dealerships across the country, and this reflects in the big numbers that the Ertiga brand is clocking as a whole. Maruti has clubbed the Ertiga and the Ertiga-based XL6 sales under a single header.

The Maruti Suzuki XL6 is a 6 seater, luxury trim of the Ertiga. It will be sold through NEXA showrooms and bookings are already open. The Maruti XL6 will be launched in India on the 21st of August, and the MPV will be pricier than the Ertiga but will be offered as a petrol-only MPV. The petrol engine in question is the 1.5 liter K-Series unit with 104 Bhp-138 Nm. This petrol motor is expected to be BS6 compliant on the XL6 right from the outset, and is also likely to pack in the Suzuki Hybrid Vehicle System (SHVS) mild hybrid.

The engine will be offered with two gearbox options: 5 speed manual and a 4 speed torque converter automatic. If you’re wondering why the XL6 won’t get a diesel engine, well, it’s because of the Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) emission norms and the fact that Maruti does not have a single diesel engine that meets this norms. For now, Maruti Suzuki has even announced that it’s moving away from diesel engines and will instead offer turbo petrol, CNG, petrol mild hybrid, petrol full hybrid and electric powertrain options on its cars.

Coming back to what the XL6 will offer, the MPV will get 4 captain seats, and a regular bench seat as the third row. The interiors will get black and plum coloured finish, in contrast to the beige trim that the Ertiga gets. While the platform is HEARTECT and most bits including the mechanicals on the XL6 are borrowed from the Ertiga, the new MPV will get refreshed looks. It will get a new front grille, revised headlamp, cladding on the sides, roof rails and also revised tail lamps. The idea is to make the XL6 look quite different from the Ertiga, and sell it in the private car buyer space. The Ertiga, on the other hand, sells in both the private car and cab segments.