Maruti Suzuki Y17 seven-seater SUV will take on the likes of Hyundai Alcazar, MG Hector Plus and others upon launch in the near future
Maruti Suzuki is developing a host of new SUVs for the Indian market and it includes a global midsize electric SUV along with Toyota, a seven-seater midsize SUV, a compact SUV coupe based on Baleno’s platform and the heavily updated version of the Vitara Brezza. The homegrown manufacturer is also working on a five-seater midsize SUV to rival Hyundai Creta.
It will be underpinned by a derivative of Toyota’s DNGA platform as the midsize SUV will reportedly be launched later this year before spawning a Toyota sibling in quick succession. A three-row SUV codenamed Y17 will likely sit at the top-of-the-range until the arrival of the midsize electric SUV by the middle of this decade and more than 10,000 crore investment was confirmed recently for its EV operations.
Over the last couple of years, we have seen midsize seven-seater SUVs gaining popularity in India as Hyundai Alcazar, Tata Safari, Mahindra XUV700, and MG Hector Plus have been well received amongst customers. The Maruti Suzuki Y17 will compete directly against the Hyundai Alcazar and we do hope to know more about the upcoming SUV in the near future.
Reports suggest that the seven-seater Maruti Suzuki SUV will sit on the Ertiga’s Heartect architecture and its launch could be years away. It could act as a replacement to the XL6, which is a more premium version of the Ertiga with a middle-row captain seating arrangement. The Ertiga and XL6 will get updated avatars next month and the latter could be offered with six- and seven-seater layouts.
Taking advantage of its market positioning, the Maruti Suzuki Y17 could be retailed in six- and seven-seater configurations and expect the presence of a large touchscreen infotainment system with connected tech, cruise control, automatic climate control, HUD, 360-degree camera, etc. As for the performance, a 1.5-litre petrol engine with improved hybrid tech could be utilised.
The Maruti Suzuki midsize YFG SUV appears to resemble the styling of the Suzuki A-Cross derived from the Toyota RAV4 and whether the A-Cross or the next-gen Vitara will influence the styling of the Y17 or not is waited to be seen.