Maruti Suzuki will announce prices of the Grand Vitara compact SUV n the next 3-4 days, according to Mr. Shashank Srivastava – the executive director of marketing and sales at India’s biggest car maker. Deliveries of the Grand Vitara will begin from the festive season of Navratri, which commences from 26th of September 2022. The Grand Vitara replaces the S-Cross in Maruti Suzuki’s premium NEXA range, and bookings have been open for over a month now. Maruti Suzuki has already bagged over 50,000 bookings for the Grand Vitara, and about 40 % of the bookings are for the strong hybrid version. The all wheel drive option – a best in class feature – is also available on the SUV, and about 5-7 % bookings are for the all wheel drive model. The rest of the 55 % bookings are for the mild hybrid trims of the compact SUV.
The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara has a sibling called the Hyryder Urban Cruiser, which is sold with the Toyota badge. Both SUVs are mechanically similar with only styling being the key difference. Of course, Maruti Suzuki may price the Grand Vitara below the Toyota Hyryder Urban Cruiser, and offer more choice for buyers. While the Hyryder starts from about Rs. 15 lakh, the Grand Vitara could be priced a couple of lakh lower.
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Both SUVs take on the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Nissan Kicks, Volkswagen Taigun and the Skoda Kushaq. Both SUVs will be produced by Toyota at the Bidadi factory, off Bengaluru, and the Grand Vitara will be shipped to Maruti Suzuki’s NEXA dealerships across the country. Although the Grand Vitara and Hyryder Urban Cruiser are very similar, after sales service will be handled by respective brands. Think Renault Duster-Nissan Terrano, or for that matter Volkswagen Vento-Skoda Rapid.
Coming to the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara’s mechanicals, the compact SUV will be offered with two powertrains: a mild hybrid and a strong hybrid. The mild hybrid will consist of a 1.5 liter K15C naturally aspirated petrol engine (102 Bhp-137 Nm) paired with a Suzuki Hybrid Vehicle System mild hybrid unit that offers assist during hard acceleration, brake energy regeneration and idle-stop technology. The mild hybrid powertrain’s manual gearbox will also get the all wheel drive option.
It remains to be seen if Maruti Suzuki offers the 6 speed automatic gearbox with the mild hybrid powertrain. The strong hybrid will consist of a 1.5 liter naturally aspirated engine (91 Bhp-122 Nm) running on the Atkinson’s cycle. This motor is paired with an electric motor that makes 78 Bhp-141 Nm. Combined output stands at 115 Bhp, and the SUV can also be driven in pure electric mode for about 25 kilometers – another best in class feature.
Via ZeeBiz
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