Maruti engineers are working hard on the R3, a three-row multi-purpose vehicle that will try diverting Toyota Innova customers into Maruti Suzuki showrooms next year. Some reports point at an end-2011 while others predict an early 2012 as starting date of R3′s production.
Whichever the case, we expect Maruti Suzuki to showcase the production model at Auto Expo 2012. Test mules must be out on the roads by June or July this year.
More news comes from overseas publication Go Auto Australia. We have already reported on the exports possibility of the SX4-based R3 from India. Maruti Suzuki manufactures the Alto (A-Star) for the entire world. The R3 MPV might be one such high-volume export project going to places as far as Australia.
Within a year or so from the local launch, an export specification model will be ready meeting stringent crash test standards and Euro 5 emission standards. Maruti Suzuki will nix the R3 badge and the 1.2-litre K-Series petrol and 1.3-litre Multi-jet turbo-diesel engines sending drive to the front wheels are likely nominees under the hood.
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The MUV market is on a growth in India with vehicles like Bolero, Innova being the current champions. Tata will also enter the fray by bringing in the Aria, though that’s expected to be on the expensive side. All this hustle and bustle has caught the eyes of Maruti Suzuki which is putting together plans of launching a MUV in 2012
Earlier as well, Maruti made half hearted attempts to enter this market with the help of Versa but didn’t taste considerable success. The Eeco has worked for Maruti but the question is how long will it be able to sustain numbers?
Maruti, we think, has got its act together and will launch a MUV based on the R3 concept that it showcased at Delhi Auto Expo 2010. Priced in the bracket of 7-9 lakhs, it will take the the compact MUV market head on!
The R3 will be smaller than the Innova and will seat 6-7 people. It would be based on a extended and heavier SX4 platform and could come with the Swift’s 1.2 liter K-Series engine or the SX4’s 1.6 liter VVT engine.
Also the Maruti MPV could get diesel engines from Volkswagen, thanks to the latter’s 19.9% stake in Suzuki. Or Maruti could use the 1.3 liter DDiS diesel engine probably with a VGT (Variable Geometry Turbocharger).
The bigger news is that Volkswagen and Skoda are also interested in this platform to launch their own product in the Indian Market. As Maruti-Suzuki is an expert in mass volume and low cost, VW may leverage its relationship by making their own MUV’s contract manufactured by Maruti.
The model will undergo testing in the next few months post which it will also be shown to VW.
Maruti Suzuki, according to multiple reports, has decided to build the R3 MPV, shown as a concept at the Auto Expo in January this year. India’s largest car manufacturer found little success with its first MPV “Versa.” The re-engineered “Maruti Eeco” introduced earlier this year at almost a fraction of the Versa’s cost has got of to a very brisk start.
Encouraged by the success, Maruti will compete with the likes of the mini Xylo, Chevrolet’s Wuling vans and the junior Innova when it comes out next year. Based on the elongated SX4 platform, naturally it will share many vital components which should lower costs and development time.
Now the interesting bit is the R3 could come with VW’s diesel engines. For cars like the Swift and Ritz, Maruti uses the Fiat 1.3-Multi-jet engine. Due to unavailability of extra engines at the manufacturing site, Suzuki could use the 1.6-liter diesel engine that will feature on the VW Vento.
The 1.6-litre common rail diesel engine makes 105 bhp, which should be sufficient to power this seven seater. The 1.2-liter K-Series engine and the 1.6-litter VVT engine that powers the SX4 could be the petrol options. The former was designed for cars of smaller sizes, and it wouldn’t make the R3 a very engaging drive. The latter could be transplanted with ease, saving time, since its home is the engine bay of the SX4.
Maruti is yet to finalize details for this vehicle as it waits for the customer feedback to be processed.
Suzuki could take the Indian-engineered R3 MPV to markets like Brazil where it could produce it in VW plants. The Suzuki R3 knocked-down kits from the Manesar/Gurgaon plant could be exported to European and Latin American countries where it will be assembled.
Could the R3 be a stylish Versa ready for powerful diesel engines?
Maruti Suzuki India is all set to unveil ‘Concept R3? a compact multi-purpose vehicle at the forthcoming Auto Expo 2010.
The 6-seater MPV concept has totally been the work of Indian engineers who have slogged nine months to see the project through.
The vehicle generated out of this concept could be the right candidate for the diesel engines. Suzuki could use the R3 to curb the rising popularity of vehicles like Toyota Innova, Mahindra Xylo, and the Tata Indicruz which also makes its debut at the show.
The Suzuki Eeco could replace the aging Omni which will give more clearance for the R3′s price band. Suzuki’s product line-up in India is cluttered and we should avoid making any guesses beyond this level. The Auto Expo holds answers to these type of question so we expect clarity once the Eeco is on air.
