Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza petrol variant, AMT coming in early 2017

Both the variants are expected to be launched on the first anniversary of the compact SUV.

The Vitara Brezza compact SUV has become a major blockbuster for Maruti Suzuki. The first compact SUV of the Indo-Japanese outfit has already raked up over one lakh bookings and has average monthly sales over 9,000 units. This is despite the fact that the vehicle is sold only with diesel powertrain.

Encouraged by the response and by the customer demand, Maruti Suzuki is now planning to launch the Petrol avatar and the AMT equipped version of the Vitara Brezza in early 2017.

Emerging reports suggest that petrol iteration of the Vitara Brezza will be powered by a 1.5-litre petrol mill that can churn out around 100bhp of power mated to five-speed manual transmission.

Maruti may also consider the 1.0 litre BoosterJet turbo-petrol engine. Introduction of the petrol Vitara Brezza would make the compact SUV more affordable.

Currently the Vitara Brezza has been priced in the range of Rs 7.19 lakh to Rs 9.66 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The petrol model of the compact SUV would be priced lower than the diesel variants.

Suzuki showcased the automated manual transmission (AMT) equipped version of the Vitara Brezza at Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show 2016 (GIIAS) in August. The show car was equipped with a 1248cc diesel engine, which is sold in India. Hence, Vitara Brezza AMT in India is also expected to couple with diesel powertrain.

The current diesel engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox develops 88.5bhp at 4,000rpm and 200Nm of torque at 1,750rpm. It boasts of best-in-class fuel efficiency of 24.3 kmpl.

The current waiting period of the Vitara Brezza stands at around eight months, and the company is working on to produce more units of the compact SUV.