The upcoming Hyundai Creta rivalling Maruti Suzuki Vitara SUV has been spied recently and here’s all you need to know about it
Even though the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is priced at least Rs 2.5 Lakh lower than the Hyundai Creta, both the vehicles are often compared when it comes to sales. However, the Indian auto industry has grown tremendously over the past couple of years, creating a rift in the existing segment segregation.
With the arrival of Hyundai Venue, which is priced Rs 1 Lakh cheaper than the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, India’s largest selling SUV, or rather compact SUV now competes both against the Venue and the Creta, which is a problem for Maruti Suzuki as customers can’t understand what exactly are they buying?
Is it a cheaper option than the Hyundai Creta or is it an expensive SUV than the Venue. The result in the decline in sales. Hyundai Venue sold as many units as the Vitara Brezza in June 2019.
Realizing this potential danger, Maruti Suzuki initiated plans some time back to launch a Hyundai Creta rivalling SUV, which will be called Maruti Suzuki Vitara and will be offered as a mid-size SUV as against Vitara Brezza compact SUV. This will essentially segregate two offerings – Venue rivalling Vitara Brezza and Creta rivalling Vitara. But what exactly is this new product?
Here are the top 5 things you need to know about the upcoming Hyundai Creta rivalling Maruti Suzuki Vitara SUV-
1. Design
The Maruti Suzuki Vitara will be a Grand Vitara (yes the same SUV Maruti Suzuki launched years ago) offspring and will be 4,175 mm long, 1,775 mm wide, 1,610 mm tall and will have a 2,500 mm wheelbase with 185 mm ground clearance. Which means the Vitara will be bigger than the Vitara Brezza and comparable to the Hyundai Creta.
A test mule of the Vitara was recently spotted with an all-black paint scheme revealing much of the design. It will have U-shaped LED Daytime Running Lights, 17-inch polished alloy wheels and circular fog lamps. There was no grille upfront but the Vitara will have a six slat grille. Overall, the Maruti Suzuki Vitara will be an updated version of the Suzuki Vitara in the international markets.
2. Cabin
The spy images reveal an all-black interior with circular air conditioning vents, a bigger vertically-oriented touchscreen infotainment system, much bigger than the global version, adaptive cruise control system, 4.2-inch MID, Blind Spot Monitoring, Dual Sensor Brake support, panoramic sunroof and keyless entry with push-button start/stop. The cabin will be much bigger than the Brezza and will have more boot space too.
3. Engine
The Maruti Suzuki Vitara will not be similar to the Suzuki Vitara sold elsewhere and has been readied in India for the Indian market in mind. It might get a 1.4-litre turbo BoosterJet engine with a six speed automatic gearbox. However a more likely choice could be Maruti’s 1.5-litre SHVS petrol engine which will be BS-VI ready.
There will be no diesel because of the obvious reasons. As for the international spec Vitara, it is sold in a variety of engine options including a new 1.0-litre turbo BoosterJet engine developing 111 PS and 170 Nm; a 1.4 Boosterjet SZ5 ALLGRIP engine making 140 PS and 220 Nm; a 1.6-litre VVT petrol with 117 PS and 156 Nm output and a 1.6-litre diesel. Expect the 1.4-litre engine to get 4×4 ALLGRIP system.
4. Competition
As mentioned above, the new Maruti Suzuki Vitara will be sold as a mid-size SUV that has been dominated by the Hyundai Creta for years now. More players like upcoming Kia Seltos, Tata Harrier and recently launched MG Hector has made this segment immensely popular in the recent months.
And Maruti Suzuki will launch its own Creta competitor, making it the flagship product for the India’s largest car manufacturer. Going by the success rate of Maruti products in India, it could very well turn out to be a game changer in the segment.
5. Price
To be launched as early as next year, the five-seater SUV is expected to be priced competitively to match the Hyundai Creta pricing. This means it could start at Rs 10 lakh and going all the way upto Rs 17 lakh for the 4×4 ALLGRIP 1.4 turbo version (all prices, ex-showroom).
Since Hyundai will launch the new second-gen Creta with a more premium touch around the same time, Maruti Suzuki will have to strategize their pricing to make it a worthy Creta rival.