One year on, Grand Vitara adds wind to Maruti Suzuki sails. Check the numbers
Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara has completed its first year in the Indian car market and the company says it has helped it establish a firm base in the mid-size SUV space, one that is also helping other SUV models in the extended family. The Grand Vitara was launched in September of 2022 with both mild as well as strong hybrid technology.
_1663475192508_1663475222593_1663475222593.jpeg "Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara is the biggest launch from the company in 2022 and is prepping to dream big in a bigger segment - the mid-size SUV category. The company may have come in late but is coming in hot.")
_1663475192434_1663475239532_1663475239532.jpeg "The Grand Vitara from Maruti Suzuki sports a prominent front grille which is flanked on either side with three-pod LED DRLs and head light units in a square casing.")
_1663475192452_1663475213024_1663475213024.jpeg "The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara stands on 17-in alloy wheels in dual-tone hues. The minimalist character line on the side and the large windows lends it a classic appearance.")
_1663475192456_1663475228776_1663475228776.jpeg "The Grand Vitara gets LED tail lights and a light bar across the trunk door.")
_1663475190819_1663475262468_1663475262468.jpeg "Cargo space at the back is decent on the mild-hybrid variants (in pic) but the addition of a big battery in the strong-hybrid models leads to compromised space.")
_1663475192211_1663475269684_1663475269684.jpeg "A look at the all-black interiors with Champagne Gold accents on the strong hybrid model of the Grand Vitara.")
_1663475191942_1663475256730_1663475256730.jpeg "The strong-hybrid model comes with the solitary e-CVT option.")
_1663475644108_1663477396140_1663477396140.jpeg "The strong-hybrid model of the Grand Vitara also gets an all-digital 4.2-inch TFT driver display.")
_1663475388737_1663477381804_1663477381804.jpeg "Head-Up Display or HUD is also reserved for the strong hybrid variants of the Grand Vitara.")
_1663475426775_1663477367113_1663477367113.jpeg "The panoramic sunroof is available on the top variant of the mild-hybrid trim and all variants of the strong-hybrid trim of the Grand Vitara.")
_1663475192390_1663477353266_1663477353266.jpeg "A look at the Black and Bordeaux colour theme inside the manual variant of the Grand Vitara.")
_1663475520891_1663477326886_1663477326886.jpeg "The five-speed manual stick inside the Grand Vitara is the one to choose if one is looking favorably at the Suzuki AllGrip Select which enables the SUV to tackle conditions off the tarmac.")
Maruti Suzuki has so far sold around 1.20 lakh units of Grand Vitara and underlines that the model was the quickest among mid-size SUVs to the one lakh sales mark. And with semiconductor issue reportedly sorting itself out, the company expects the numbers to rise further with pending orders for Grand Vitara alone at an approximate 22,000.
Grand Vitara has a starting price of ₹10.70 lakh (ex-showroom) for the base variant but Maruti Suzuki especially underlines the growing acceptance of the strong hybrid technology. “Around 22 per cent of overall sales of Grand Vitara is coming from the strong hybrid variant. This alone shows how well people have accepted both the car and the technology," said Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing and Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited. “Around 13 per cent sales are for the CNG variant while the remaining is for the mild-hybrid gasoline variants."
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Speaking to members of the press on Friday, Srivastava also underlined that Grand Vitara has helped accelerate demand of other Maruti Suzuki models while helping Nexa alone to capture a 15 per cent market share. “Nexa is now the second largest brand, behind Maruti Suzuki. And the Grand Vitara has also further helped fellow models like Jimny and Brezza."
Also watch: Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara: First Drive Review
But while Grand Vitara does continue to enjoy a positive demand in the market, the need to further popularize the storng hybrid technology may make much sense for Maruti, especially because the company has no all-electric model so far. Could government-led incentives or lower tax structure work? “We can only request but the government knows best. Tax structure based on tailpipe emissions would ensure cleaner vehicle models make even more buying sense for customers," Srivastava outlined. At present, Maruti Suzuki offers only two models with strong hybrid technology - Grand Vitara and Invicto MPV. Both of these models are manufactured for the company at the Toyota Kirloskar Motor plant.
