Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest car maker, has revealed the all-new Vitara (not to be confused with the recently-launched Brezza, which now drops the Vitara moniker.) The bookings for the same have already been opened, at Rs 11,000. In its latest tweet, Maruti has now teased the rear of the new Vitara.
The car, which shares its fundamentals and mechanicals with the recently-unveiled Toyota Hyryder, is expected to be offered in both mild-hybrid and full-hybrid options, along with torque-converter and CVT gearboxes, borrowing Toyota’s technology for the full-hybrid.
This looks to be Toyota’s and Maruti’s first true collaboration (after the badge-swapping on the Glanza-Baleno and the Urban Cruiser-Brezza pairs.) The car is expected to offer features such as ventilated seats, 360-degree camera, Heads-Up Display and a panoramic sunroof (in a first for a Maruti sold in India). It will be sold exclusively at Maruti’s NEXA outlets.
Maruti has recently used the throwback-nomenclature strategy to great effect, with the launch of the Baleno (originally the name of a mid-size sedan in the 2000s) and the Vitara Brezza (Vitara being a mid-size premium SUV).
With the new Brezza dropping the Vitara prefix, it remains to be seen if the new Vitara will be a bigger successor than its ancestor of the same name. Only time will tell, but, if the Hyryder is anything to go by, the new Vitara promises to pack a punch. Its rivals include the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and Nissan Kicks.
