Published : 17 January 2022
Read Time : 5 min
Author: Mohammad Osaaf
Recent reports online claim that Maruti along with Toyota plan to launch a new Creta rivalling SUV by the 2022 festive season, which is October 2022. Reports claim that Maruti and Toyota will build a new model from scratch and it will use Daihatsu’s DNGA (Daihatsu New Global Architecture) platform (Daihatsu is a budget brand of Toyota). According to the reports, Toyota will manufacture the new SUV at their plant in Karnataka. Reports also say that the new SUV will come with a full hybrid system, similar to the one used in the Toyota Camry. Here’s what we think.
The Launch Timeline
The festive season of this year is only 10 months away. It might sound a lot, but when talking about making a brand new product and launching it in this timeframe, 10-12 months time frame is just around the corner. We don’t think that it is sufficient time for a brand to build and launch a brand new SUV.
Also, the reports mention that the new SUV will use the DNGA platform. Currently, no car in India uses this platform. It means that Toyota will have to build a new platform for India and modify it, which will require the investment of money and more importantly, time.
So, we are a little skeptical about Maruti and Toyota launching a brand new C-segment SUV in this festive season.
Also Read: Rumour - Jimny And 4 Maruti Suzuki SUVs Coming Next 3 Years
Maruti’s Presence In the Segment
Maruti are already present in the C-SUV segment in India with the S-Cross. But it is not as popular as its immediate rivals like the Creta and Seltos. And that’s mainly down to its crossover design. But Suzuki recently launched the 2022 S-Cross in Europe, which looks more SUV-ish than ever. It gets many design changes along with some features additions like a panoramic sunroof, ADAS, telematics, 4-wheel drive. These features not only allow it to challenge the Creta and Seltos, but also one-up both of them.
Moreover, Maruti Suzuki are looking to free up the Vitara name plate. A few spy shots of the 2022 Vitara Brezza show that the car is no longer bearing the Vitara badge. Since the Vitara name already commands some serious respect among the Indian car buyers, we believe Maruti Suzuki may launch the new S-Cross as Vitara to compete with the other C-segment SUVs. The Swift Dzire also dropped the Swift name when it was ready to create its own identity. Maruti have also discontinued models and brand names, which sell less than the competition. The Ritz is the most recent example as Maruti Suzuki replaced it with the Nexa Ignis.
Also Read: 2022 Maruti Vitara Brezza With Sunroof Spied
Next-Gen 2022 Maruti Suzuki Nexa S-Cross Officially Revealed