Maruti Suzuki will launch its new SUV which could be called Escudo or Victoris. This new SUV would be sold via the Arena dealerships while it would be positioned alongside the Grand Vitara. Being sold via Arena sales outlets, the Victoris could be more affordable than the Nexa based Grand Vitara. The Victoris is clearly Maruti Suzuki’s bid to further increase its SUV market share and pricing could be the key element here.
The Victoris is based on the Grand Vitara but will have an entirely new design language with a new look front/rear styling. There are also eVitara like design details here. Maruti Suzuki could further differentiate it from the Grand Vitara with a different dashboard design with new switchgear for the Victoris. Another differentiating element would be the features list where the Victoris could get more features over the Grand Vitara.
In terms of pricing, the Victoris/Escudo would be expected to start at Rs 11 lakh which is lower than the Grand Vitara which is around Rs 11.5 lakh starting. Powertrains would be the same for the Victoris which means a 1.5l mild hybrid petrol and a strong hybrid powertrain as well. Gearbox options include manual and automatic but there would be an AWD version too paired with the mild hybrid variant but also available with an automatic gearbox.
Maruti Suzuki hopes to increase its SUV market share with the Victoris since being sold via Arena outlets means that it will get more sales as it has a greater network coverage over Nexa sales outlets. With the launch being today, it will be the second compact SUV launch by Maruti Suzuki.
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