Three-row Grand Vitara with six or seven seats will become a reality in 2025. Image: Suzuki
While only expected to debut next year, Suzuki’s incoming three-row Grand Vitara will reportedly go under one of two monikers based on a newly-discovered trademark application in India.
Known at present by the internal designation Y17, the extended wheelbase model will not only serve as a step-up from the Grand Vitara, but bridge the gap between it and the Invicto that sits atop Suzuki’s SUV and MPV range in India.
ALSO READ: Three-row Suzuki Grand Vitara in the pipeline for 2025 premiere
Going ahead in spite of uncertainty surrounding alliance’s partner Toyota’s version derived from the Urban Cruiser Hyryder following the abrupt cancellation of the seven-seat Corolla Cross last month, the names submitted to India’s trademark office include Torqnado and the iconic Escudo used on every generation Vitara in Japan since the original debuted in 1988.
According to Autocar India, the application, only uncovered now, went into submission in January, before being approved this past Monday (18 March).
While it remains to be seen on which model the names end up, speculation points to Escudo being used for the three-row Grand Vitara given its lineage, while the oddly spelled Torqnado could be applied to the production version of the electric eVX shown at the Delhi Auto Expo in January last year.
In a related report from gaadiwaadi.com, none of the monikers received filling from Japan, most likely as a result of the Escudo name still being used on the unrelated Vitara dropped in South Africa for the Grand Vitara in 2023.
Set to differ from the Grand Vitara by means of an aesthetic restyle to go with its added length, rumoured to be 4 345 mm, the Escudo/Torqnado will provide seating for seven or six, but retain the current line-up of engines powering its sibling, as well as the Urban Cruiser that omits the Hyryder suffix in South Africa.
In India, the choice of units comprises the mild-hybrid version of Suzuki’s own 1.5-litre K15C petrol engine developing 76kW/137Nm, and a Toyota-made 1.5-litre hybrid producing a combined 85 kW.
As a comparison, the South African Grand Vitara swaps the former for the older 1.5-litre K15B without any hybrid assistance, while the latter is available, but with the AllGrip all-wheel-drive system not offered in India.
For the time being, it also remains to be seen whether a bigger or powerful engine will be opted for given the added weight the Escudo/Torqnado will be need to shift.
While no further details are known at present, first information could well become apparent later this year in the form of spy images as pre-production testing kick-off ahead of the model’s debut in 2025.
NOW READ: LISTEN: Toyota Urban Cruiser, Suzuki Grand Vitara’s paths split
