The demand for mid-SUVs is all-time high, and the carmakers have of course sensed it. Therefore, the country’s largest carmaker - Maruti Suzuki, is now going all guns blazing in this segment with the Grand Vitara, which will be launched in the country by this month itself. The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara brings multiple powertrain and drivetrain options to the table, along with both FWD and AWD layouts. The company has confirmed that around 40 per cent of total bookings have come for the strong-hybrid variant, but only 5-7 per cent of total orders are for the all-wheel-drive variants. The mild-hybrid-equipped version makes for the highest number of orders.
The brand has acknowledged that more than 53,000 orders have been made for the SUV since bookings opened. The noteworthy part is that there have been about 22,000 pre-orders for the strong-hybrid model, which is a big number given the Indian market is still a niche one for hybrid cars. On the other hand, almost 33,000 reservations have been registered for mild hybrid trims. These figures suggest that the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara may become the most popular hybrid SUV on the Indian market, ranking first overall.
The Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Mahindra XUV700, MG Hector, Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, MG Astor, and other competitors will be up against the Grand Vitara. The hybrid SUV comes equipped with a tonne of features, including 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, a 360-degree parking camera, a head-up display, ventilated front seats, and an all-digital instrument panel. The Grand Vitara has a freestanding 9-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
The Grand Vitara will offer a choice of two powertrain options - 1.5L NA petrol with 48V mild-hybrid technology and a 1.5L Atkinson cycle strong-hybrid setup. The former will be offered with either a FWD or an AWD setup, whereas, only the FWD configuration will be offered with the powerful hybrid grade.
