Maruti Suzuki YY8 will reportedly be the first electric SUV from the brand and it could be priced under Rs. 10 lakh
According to a recent report that emerged on the internet, Maruti Suzuki will introduce a small electric SUV in India as the brand’s first zero-emission vehicle. The project has received green light and is internally codenamed YY8. It will have an SUV body style and will target volume-based customers and expect it to compete against the electric variant of the Tata Punch.
The largest carmaker in the country began road testing the Wagon R Electric prototypes in late 2018 but the brand has not launched an EV yet while Tata Motors has taken the lead with the Nexon EV and committed to drive growth, it has lined up huge investments under a new subsidiary. Maruti Suzuki has made it clear that it would enter the EV space with a competitive price range.
Speculations suggest that the first EV from the Indo-Japanese manufacturer will only appear by the middle of this decade and it is currently working on expanding its CNG range and may consider bringing in alternative fuels as well in a bid to reduce pollution. Tata, on the other hand, will launch the long-range Nexon EV this year and is planning a trio of mass-market EVs.
Tata is believed to be working on the electric versions of the Tiago, Punch and Altroz for debut within the next twelve to eighteen months. The Maruti Suzuki YY8 micro SUV carrying an electric powertrain may leverage Toyota’s BEV expertise and it could spawn a Toyota sibling but these are only rumours at this point. The Maruti YY8 could be unveiled at the 2024 Auto Expo.
It will be rolled out of the brand’s production facility in Gujarat and MSIL is estimated to sell around 1.5 lakh units of the upcoming electric SUV per annum in partnership with Toyota. We do hope to know more about the five-seater in the near future as it may not launch before 2024.
The eco-friendly SUV could be priced below Rs. 10 lakh and it could have a range of around 300 km. In CY2022, MSIL will launch the facelifted Baleno, new-gen Brezza and a midsize SUV in association with Toyota.