Maruti Suzuki likely to launch bigger Vitara SUV in 2018

Maruti Suzuki's first compact SUV Vitara Brezza has become one of the most successful vehicles in India in a short span of time. Launched in March 2017, the sales of the SUV passed the 2 lakh mark last month. The success of Vitara Brezza has now prompted Maruti Suzuki to launch bigger SUVs and rumours are rife that the company is planning to re-launch the Vitara in India again.

Premium SUV is not a traditional stronghold of Maruti Suzuki. In the previous attempt with the Grand Vitara SUV which was priced around Rs 15 lakh, Maruti Suzuki failed to woo customers and it got eventually discontinued. However, the customer sentiment is now positive for premium SUV and seems to be the reason for a rethink.

When will the new Vitara come to India? A report in NDTV Auto claims that Maruti Suzuki plans to launch the bigger Vitara in a year's time. If the report is anything to go by, the launch of Vitara as Maruti Suzuki's flagship SUV can be expected during the festive season of 2018.

The new Vitara is currently sold in the UK with two engine options- 1.4-litre BoosterJet turbocharged petrol and 1.6-litre Fiat Multijet turbocharged diesel engines. The petrol engine produces 140PS of power and 230 Nm of torque. The diesel engine (which used to power pre-facelift S-Cross) produces 120bhp and 320Nm of torque. Both the engines are expected to be offered in India as well.

Both the engines will be mated to six-speed manual transmission while the petrol is expected to come with the option of an automatic transmission as well. The Vitara is sold in both front wheel drive and all-wheel drive options in the global market. However, India-spec models are expected to be offered in front-wheel-drive format only.

The new Vitara is expected to be priced from Rs 10 lakh and will go up against Hyundai Creta and Renault Duster.