Suzuki iK-2 Concept previews the Maruti Suzuki YRA Premium Hatchback – Images + Details

Later this year, Maruti Suzuki will take aim at the Hyundai i2o Elite with a brand new offering, the YRA code-named premium hatchback. In concept form, the YRA has just shed camouflage at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. Dubbed the iK-2 concept, the car will arrive into India by the end of this year. Suzuki, Maruti Suzuki’s parent company, has released a raft of images and some technical information about the B+ segment hatchback. The car is based on Suzuki’s New Generation Platform, and will go on sale in Europe too, a hunting ground that already features the Hyundai i20 Elite. The Europe launch for the YRA/iK-2 is scheduled for 2016, with petrol and petrol-hybrid engine options.

The petrol engine is a 1 liter-3 cylinder unit, said to be a turbocharged, direct injected version of the K10 motor that powers the likes of the Alto and the WagonR in India. This turbo petrol motor (dubbed the BOOSTERJET) is expected to Maruti Suzuki’s first ever turbocharged petrol engine for the Indian car market. A turbo diesel engine, likely to be the 1.3 liter Fiat Multijet motor, is also expected to be on offer in the YRA/iK-2 sold in India. Details of the petrol hybrid powertrain combination for Europe remain unavailable for now. The car meant for Europe measures a little over 4 meters in length. For India, this length will be whittled down to under 4 meters.

Here are a few specifications:

• Overall length: 4,023 mm
• Overall width: 1,920 mm
• Overall height: 1,450 mm
• Wheelbase: 2,520 mm
• Tyre size: 225/45R18
• Engine: 1.0L BOOSTERJET turbocharged, direct injected petrol
• Platform: New-generation platform

The YRA is a strong export possibility and in concept form, features a design that looks ravishing. Curvy yet muscular, the design of the car conveys a fluid motion, and Suzuki even has a name for this design philosophy, “Liquid Flow”. to put it mildly, the iK-2 concept is easily one of the best designed Suzukis in recent times, and if the concept versions cues manage to get productionised, this car could get off to a winning start, a-la-Hyundai i20 Elite. With a wheelbase that’s 90 mm longer than that of the Swift, the car is expected to offer more space on the inside. Price and positioning will be above that of the Swift, as Maruti Suzuki’s most premium hatchback offering for the Indian market.