Get set for Maruti MPV based on Toyota Innova Hycross, launch in next two months

Maruti Suzuki on Wednesday officially confirmed it is closing in on the launch of a Toyota Innova Hycross based three-row vehicle in the Indian car market that will take place in the next two months. Underlining that this three-row vehicle will be positioned at the top of its extensive product portfolio, the company is betting big on utility vehicles to add winds to its sails.

Speaking to members of the press, Maruti Suzuki India Chairman RC Bhargava confirmed that the new three-row model would not be a volume driver in terms of sales but will be a very premium offering, possibly selling under 10,000 units per annum. “It will be a path-breaking vehicle with strong hybrid technology. It will be launched in the next two months," he informed. “The numbers (sales figures) will eventually depend on the situation once the car enters the market. The Toyota vehicle at present has a wait period for 12 months."

Maruti Suzuki and Toyota have an agreement and have several models in common, the most-recent being the Grand Vitara and Urban Cruiser Hyryder. Both of these mid-size SUVs are being manufactured at the Toyota plant in Bidadi. Previously, models like Baleno and Glanza, and Brezza and Urban Cruiser were essentially re-badged versions of each other.

The big-ticket launch of the much-awaited Maruti Suzuki Jimny is lined up next but while the lifestyle SUV is likely to garner enormous attention, the Maruti MPV could also capture much of the limelight even though it will have its own special pedestal within the Maruti Suzuki lineup of passenger vehicles. The company already has MPV models like Ertiga and XL6 which are faring strong but the upcoming new three-row model could help the company to potentially storm an entirely new segment. This is especially significant because the company sees demand for its smaller vehicles to remain rather flat all of 2023-24 because of affordability concerns.