Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. has launched its first electric car in the eVitara with an exports focus firmly in place.
The midsize SUV is based on the eVX concept that was unveiled at the 2023 Auto Expo in Delhi. The production is set to commence at Suzuki Motor Gujarat's factory in Hansalpur next month. The electric SUV is expected to go on sale in Europe, Japan and India by June.
The leading Indian carmaker did not divulge any details on prices for the eVitara today.
Maruti has earmarked an investment of Rs 2,100 crore for manufacturing eVitara in India, said Hisashi Takeuchi, MD & CEO, Maruti Suzuki.
The new electric SUV from Maruti Suzuki's stable is built on a skateboard architecture called Heartech platform, he said.
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At 4,275 mm length, 1,800 mm width and 1,635 mm height, the eVitara is a smidge smaller than the India-spec Grand Vitara, which rivals the likes of the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos in the midsize SUV segment. The electric SUV is built on the ‘HEARTECT-e' platform that forms the underpinnings of several Suzuki cars, including the Swift hatchback.
The eVitara will be offered with two powertrains—142 bhp with a 49 kWh battery and 172 bhp with a 61 kWh battery—with the motor mounted at the front. The torque figures are identical at 140 NM. The claimed range is over 500 km, on a single charge. It also gets seven airbags as standard.
EV Debut
To be sure, Maruti Suzuki—despite being the largest carmaker in the country—is among the late entrants in the electric mobility space.
In 2024, sales of electric cars in India rose by nearly a fifth to almost a lakh units last year. While Tata Motors Ltd. has had a head start of sorts with at least five electric four-wheelers on sale, newbie JSW MG Motor India Ltd. has been eating into the market leader's share with its Windsor and Comet models packed with “battery-as-a-solution”.
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