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Three-row Suzuki Grand Vitara in the pipeline for 2025 premiere
Arriving in the same year as the rumoured long wheelbase Toyota Urban Cruiser, both will take the joint venture produced model count in India to six.
Grand Vitara will get a longer third-row model in 2025. Image: Suzuki
Suzuki’s Maruti’s division in India will reportedly add a third three-row model to its line-up in 2025, this time based on the Grand Vitara.
Toyota joint venture continues
Known presently by the internal moniker Y17, the alleged reveal comes on the back of alliance partner, Toyota, announcing earlier this month it will also be debuting a seven-seat version of the Urban Cruiser, which makes use of the same C-platform made by Hamamatsu.
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The expansion of the joint venture signed between both marques in 2019, the extended wheelbase Grand Vitara’s debut will happen in the same year as the Urban Cruiser, known as the Urban Cruiser Hyryder in India, taking the co-developed model count to six, the others being the Starlet based on the Baleno, the Vitz on the Celerio, the Rumion on the Ertiga and the Innova Hycross MPV on the Invicto.
Elsewhere, Toyota sells the Belta modelled on the Suzuki Ciaz, while in Europe, the Suzuki Swace and Across are both rebadged and re-packaged versions of the Corolla Touring Sports estate and RAV4.
What to expect
Set to be positioned between the Ertiga and Invicto unlike the Urban Cruiser that will take-up station between the Rumion and incoming three-row Corolla Cross, the Grand Vitara will exceed the sub-four metre regulations in India with a reported overall length of 4 345 mm, though the 2 600 mm wheelbase is expected to be retained.
Anticipated to be styled differently from the Grand Vitara to better justify its higher price tag and seat count, the third-row will, reportedly, result in the introduction of a six-seater with a pair of captain’s style chairs in the middle.
A configuration already present in the Invicto, albeit in a seven and eight-seat layout, the long wheelbase Grand Vitara is set to follow the same technical direction as the standard model and the Urban Cruiser Hyryder by retaining the current 1.5-litre petrol and 1.5-litre hybrid powerplants without change.
More soon
Set to rival the Mahindra XUV 700 and the Hyundai Alcazar, known in South Africa as the Grand Creta, no further details about either the long wheelbase Grand Vitara or Urban Cruiser are known, however, don’t be surprised if hints and spy images do emerge throughout the course of 2024.
Information from gaadiwaadi.com and rushlane.com.
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