New Maruti Ertiga MPV launch delayed: New timeline revealed

The Maruti Ertiga is one of India’s favourite MPVs in segments under Rs. 15 lakhs. Maruti is all set to launch an all-new model of the MPV in India later this year. Earlier, it was expected that Maruti would launch the new Ertiga around the festive season. Those planning to buy the new version around Diwali will be disappointed to hear that the automaker will now launch the new Ertiga in the middle of November to avoid the huge bookings rush that is likely to happen during Diwali. Maruti has scrapped the plan of the festive season launch to reduce the waiting period.

The Ertiga is the only 7-seater MPV sold by the Japanese giant in Indian market. The new Ertiga’s higher variants will rival the recently launched Mahindra Marazzo, but other variants will be priced much lower. The new MPV will be based on company’s new lightweight HEARTECT platform, which is also used by cars like the new Swift and Dzire. This new platform is lightweight, making for better pick-up and fuel efficiency. The new MPV will be larger than the current model, and this is expected to result in more cabin space.

Powering the new Ertiga will be the new K15 K-Series engine, which made its Indian debut with the new Ciaz recently. The new petrol engine is a 1.5-litre unit which produces 104 bhp and 138 Nm of peak torque. Maruti will offer a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic gearbox with the petrol engined variants. Thanks to new HEARTECT platform, new Ertiga will return a mileage of 18 Kmpl on the manual and 16.5 Kmpl on the automatic version.

The diesel variants will get the same 1.3-litre diesel engine that’s doing duty in the current Ertiga. This engine will produce a maximum power of 90 Bhp, and 200 Nm of peak torque. The engine is mated with a 5-speed manual gearbox. Maruti is developing a 1.5-litre diesel engine in-house, which will be offered with the MPV later. This engine will be paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox.

In terms of design, the new Ertiga will look similar to its Indonesian avatar and will get updated features. Automatic climate control, a 7.0-inch touch screen with Apple Carplay and Android auto, dual-front airbags, ABS with EBD are few of the key features that will be offered on the new car. Maruti is expected to launch the vehicle in a price range of Rs. 7 lakhs – 10 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi).