7-Seater Midsize SUV From Toyota-Maruti On The Cards

Maruti Suzuki and Toyota are currently working on a new three-row SUV for the Indian market, which is expected to launch by 2024 under both brands

In the Indian car market, SUVs have been steadily growing in popularity in recent years. Due to the growing demand, many new SUVs have recently been launched in the country, and plenty more are set to arrive soon. A few new ones are also set to launch under the Maruti Suzuki and Toyota partnership.

Toyota unveiled the new Urban Cruiser Hyryder in India a few days back, and Maruti recently launched the Urban Cruiser in our market. Both these SUVs are set to be rebranded and launched under the other brand as well. Apart from that, the two automakers are also currently working on a new three-row SUV.

Codenamed ‘Y17’ by Maruti Suzuki, this forthcoming three-row SUV is expected to be based on the Ertiga’s platform, likely with a few alterations. Other than that, the new model will have a lot of premium features on offer, including an electric sunroof, a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system, ventilated seats, Heads-Up Display (HUD), 360-degree camera, etc.

The recently unveiled Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder will be available with a “strong” hybrid powertrain option – consisting of a 1.5L petrol engine and a 59 kW electric motor, rated at 115.56 PS of combined peak power – along with a 1.5L petrol mild-hybrid engine (rated at 102 PS). The same powertrain options will be available on Maruti’s upcoming S-Cross replacement (codenamed ‘YFG’).

We expect the upcoming Maruti-Toyota three-row SUV to get the same powertrain options as mentioned above, but this is just speculation. Hopefully, more details will soon come out. The design of the vehicle is a complete mystery at this point, but we do expect it to look sharp and aggressive, along the same lines as the new Maruti Brezza and Toyota UC Hyryder.

Upon launch, this new Maruti-Toyota three-row SUV will compete with the likes of Hyundai Alcazar, and even with Mahindra XUV700, MG Hector Plus, and Tata Safari. We expect it to be available in both 7-seat and 6-seat configurations, and speculation suggests that it could even launch as a replacement for XL6 in Maruti’s lineup.