Maruti-Toyota midsize electric SUV could be offered in 2WD and 4WD configurations with the larger battery pack enabling a real-world range of around 500 km
A recent media report indicated that Maruti Suzuki and Toyota are working on a new midsize SUV that will rival Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, MG Astor, VW Taigun and Skoda Kushaq in the five-seater space. The SUV will be underpinned by Toyota’s DNGA platform and it won’t follow the badge-engineering route interestingly.
It will have a different top hat pertaining to each brand’s requirements and it will debut later this year in India following the big launches such as Baleno facelift and the new Brezza. With the midsize SUV segment steadily growing, the Japanese duo appears to have targetted the same space to bring in its first electric vehicle as the Wagon R EV plans have been ditched.
Maruti Suzuki’s electric SUV is internally codenamed YY8 and it will reportedly have a radical design philosophy compared to the current model range domestically. The SUV will likely have an overall length of around 4.2 metres and due to a dedicated EV architecture, it will have larger proportions than the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos.
With a wheelbase of around 2.7 metres, it will put up against MG ZS EV but will be priced in a more aggressive manner at around Rs. 13-15 lakh (ex-showroom). Thus, it will compete against Tata Nexon EV in terms of the price range but with a more spacious cabin, larger battery pack and longer driving range in a single charge.
One of the key reasons for the Maruti-Toyota electric SUV to carry a highly competitive price bracket is that it will have locally-sourced battery packs from TDSG but the Li-ion battery cells will be imported from BYD of China. The YY8 will be underpinned by the 27PL platform, a derivative of Toyota’s 40PL global architecture and thus it will target sales in overseas markets too.
The base version of the BEV could have a range of around 400 km as it will use a 48 kWh battery pack and a single electric motor capable of 138 hp while a larger 59 kWh battery pack working in tandem with a dual motor setup could enable 170 hp. It will likely have a driving range of around 500 km in real-world conditions.
*Pics for reference only