Maruti Suzuki C-MPV is expected to go on sale next year and is derived from the upcoming Toyota Innova Hycross
Maruti Suzuki is widely reported to introduce an all-new C-segment MPV next year in the Indian market. The largest car producer in the country will likely bring in a premium MPV that will be positioned above the Ertiga and XL6. The chances of it getting retailed through the Nexa chain of premium dealerships exclusively are also high.
Earlier this year, the Indo-Japanese manufacturer launched the mid-life minor updates to the Ertiga and XL6. The upcoming MPV is expected to be based on the new-gen Toyota Innova Hycross, which will make its domestic debut on November 25, 2022. Its prices are expected to be announced at the 2023 Auto Expo in January.
The Maruti Suzuki C-MPV will reportedly launch in the months following the arrival of the Toyota Innova Hycross. It could be offered in six- and seven-seater configurations across an expansive range and will more likely use a heavily localised strong hybrid system as its Grand Vitara sibling and Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder.
It is expected to be powered by a 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol and a 2.0-litre strong hybrid petrol engine. The latter could have a dedicated EV mode and it will have high fuel efficiency to lure in customers. It will have a different exterior compared to the Innova Hycross and it will become the first cross-badged Toyota supplied to Maruti Suzuki.
Toyota has discontinued the Urban Cruiser compact SUV in India and the new generation based on the latest second-gen Brezza is highly unlikely. However, its place could be filled by another sub-four-metre model as the rebadged version of the Baleno Cross is expected sometime next year. Both brands are taking each other’s expertise in different fields to expand their respective product lineup.
The Maruti Suzuki C-segment MPV could have its design influenced by Grand Vitara and it could become the first from the brand to be equipped with ADAS-based technologies as the Innova Hycross will likely feature autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, etc from the Toyota Safety Sense suite.