The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki on Wednesday unveiled its first model in the mid-size SUV segment – the Grand Vitara – and plans to bring in more products in the SUV segment, as it eyes the leadership position in the fastest-growing and highly competitive vehicle segment.
“In the last few years, we have seen a growing preference for SUVs,” said MD and CEO Hishashi Takeuchi. “The segment contributes to almost 40% of the total industry sales. Within this, the mid-size SUV segment contributes around 50%. This segment size is estimated to double in the next 3 to 4 years,” he added.
The Grand Vitara, which comes with a 1.5 litre petrol powertrain mated with strong and mild hybrid technology, will compete with models such as Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and Tata Harrier, in the segment where Maruti Suzuki till now has not been present.
Replying to a query, Mr. Takeuchi said that competition in the SUV market was very tough with about 56 models. “This will only get bigger, so the competition is very, very tough… but we are the market leader in all segments by far except SUVs… so we have to catch up. We are clear about that. We need to be number one in SUVs also as quickly as possible.”
Asked about the roadmap for SUVs from Maruti Suzuki’s stable, Mr. Takeuchi said that there will be “more activity in the remaining part of this year or early next year”.
As per the company’s claims, the strong hybrid trims of Grand Vitara come with a fuel efficiency of 27.97 km per litre, making it India’s most fuel-efficient SUV. The mild hybrid variants would offer 21.11 km per litre. The production for Grand Vitara will begin in August and sales will start in September.
Mr. Takeunchi added that in addition to catering to domestic markets, the Grand Vitara would also be exported.
The Grand Vitara is the first vehicle from Maruti Suzuki to be manufactured at Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s facility in Karnataka as part of the global joint venture between Japanese parent firms – Toyota and Suzuki.
