Earlier this week, Maruti Suzuki filed a trademark application for the ‘Futuro-E’ name, which could be the brand’s first e-SUV
Maruti Suzuki has been working on what would likely be its first fully-electric SUV for the Indian market. The Japanese manufacturer recently filed a trademark application for the ‘Futuro-E’ name, which could be the name for the upcoming e-SUV.
Maruti Suzuki will likely showcase the Futuro-E concept at the Auto Expo 2020, set to be held in February next year. However, the Futuro-E will not be an electric version of the mini-SUV S-Presso, as is being speculated. The manufacturer will also likely not stick to just an electric powertrain for the upcoming Futuro-E, it might get petrol-powered variants as well.
At the previous edition of the biennial Auto Expo, Maruti Suzuki had showcased the Future S Concept, the outcome of which is the recently launched S-Presso, which puts up against the Renault Kwid in the country.
Maruti is also extensively working on bringing an electric version of the Wagon R to India. Test mules of which have been spotted in India on various occasions. However, the automaker is yet to officially reveal the car in India. The Wagon R EV is expected to be launched next year, and it will become Maruti Suzuki’s first fully-electric vehicle in the Indian market.
Maruti Suzuki is certainly not the only manufacturer working towards bringing EVs to India. Homegrown manufacturers Tata and Mahindra are also in the works of introducing fully-electric versions of their respective cars soon. While Tata Motors is set to reveal the Nexon EV on December 19, Mahindra & Mahindra will likely showcase the fully-electric versions of the KUV100 and XUV300 at the Auto Expo next year.
Recently, MG Motor India also launched its first EV in India called the ZS EV. The British-origin manufacturer is yet to disclose the price of the electric SUV, but we expect it to be priced around the Rs 20-22 lakh mark (ex-showroom). The ZS EV directly rivals Hyundai’s Kona Electric, which was launched in India earlier this year.