Maruti Suzuki plans to launch a new Hyundai Creta rivaling premium B-SUV in 2020, as per a new report from Autocar India.
The Hyundai Creta and Maruti S-Cross both are premium B-segment crossovers technically. However, the former is marketed and looks like a premium SUV, while the latter is marketed as a “premium crossover” and looks like one. The South Korean offering sells about four times Maruti's volume mainly due to its SUV-like design and better equipment package.
In response, Maruti Suzuki is planning a new SUV with a boxy and muscular look and an upright stance for a more dominating road presence preferred by Indian customers. "We are studying that type of vehicle, a big-size SUV. We are discussing here and in Japan to see whether we can develop it," Kenichi Ayukawa, MD and CEO, Maruti Suzuki, told the magazine in a recent interview. This Maruti S-Cross replacement will likely sit on a modified version of the next-gen Suzuki Vitara’s platform. Expect it to measure around 4.3 metres long.
A company source has told the magazine that Maruti Suzuki will offer its new Hyundai Creta rival with two engine options: 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol and 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel. The diesel engine, codenamed ‘E15A’, will debut in the Maruti Ciaz this year.
The petrol engine in question is a new unit that has come to light. The company was considering its K15B 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine first, but then it decided to go with an all-new 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine instead.
“SUVs of this size need to have strong mid-range performance, which only a turbo-petrol engine can provide,” the company source said.
Also See: 2019 Maruti Baleno (facelift) spied completely undisguised
According to the report, the all-new Maruti Suzuki premium B-SUV is expected to reach showrooms by mid-2020.
[Source: autocarindia.com]
