The 7-seater version of the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder are scheduled for a launch next year in India
The ever-increasing popularity of SUVs in India has completely altered the market dynamics. While the compact SUVs are topping the sales charts, the 3-row 7-seater SUVs are also being preferred due to their practicality and the advantage of an extra pair of seats. Currently, Maruti Suzuki doesn’t have a 7-seater SUV in its fleet, however, the void will soon be filled with an all-new product.
The Indian carmaker is developing a new 7-seater SUV based on the Grand Vitara and similarly, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder will also get a 7-seater version. Internally codenamed Y17, the Grand Vitara 7-seater SUV is expected to debut sometime next year i.e. 2025 and it will be closely followed by the introduction of the Urban Cruiser Hyryder 7-seater.
While the details about the project are scarce at the moment, we are pretty sure that the current Global C platform will underpin the upcoming 7-seater SUVs from Maruti Suzuki and Toyota. Although the wheelbase will likely be longer to accommodate an extra row of seats, the powertrain options are expected to remain more or less the same.
Currently, the 7-seater SUV segment is occupied with options like Hyundai Alcazar, MG Hector Plus, Tata Safari, Mahindra XUV700 and Citroen C3 Aircross. In addition to these, the upcoming new-gen Renault Duster 7-seater will also square off with the Maruti Grand Vitara 7-seater. Under the hood, the current crop of 1.5-litre K15C petrol and the 1.5-litre strong hybrid petrol engines will continue to be a part of the package for the 7-seater Grand Vitara and Hyryder.
The naturally aspirated engine will be mated to a 5-speed manual and 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox while the strong hybrid engine will come with an e-CVT gearbox. As per some media reports, Maruti Suzuki could also introduce a 6-seater configuration with the upcoming Grand Vitara-based 7-seater SUV. In terms of design, the affair will remain more or less the same, however, we expect some new stand-out design elements for the 7-seater Grand Vitara and Hyryder.
The 7-seater SUVs from Maruti Suzuki and Toyota will further help to strengthen the portfolio of the respective brands along with offering a wider range of choices to the customers searching for a family-oriented 3-row SUV.