Futuro-e concept EV from Maruti Suzuki could be the start of electric vehicle revolution from India's largest car manufacturer.
Maruti Suzuki India has unveiled the Futuro-e concept at Auto Expo 2020. With this concept, company has showcased a study of an all-electric SUV coupe with an SUV body style. It serves as a design study for the carmaker. Powertrain details are still in the dark. The chances of the Futuro-e making it to production anytime soon are bleak. Expect an announcement in 2021. Company has claimed that the vehicle is conceptualized and designed in India for the aspirational youth.
Exterior
The Futuro-e has a coupe-like design. Being having sharp lines all across its body, the design of the Futuro-e flows from front to back. Maruti has said that the vehicle is design study for its future utility vehicles and also conceptualized and designed in India for the aspirational youth. The company's Futuro-e concept gets a coupe roofline that swoops at the rear, whereas it's big and bold front end adds aggression to the vehicle. At the front, we are expecting a split head lamp design with larger LED daytime running lamps being placed above the headlight cluster. The fog lamps are going to be placed in the lower half of the bumper while there will be no radiator grille because the car does not need it.
Interior
Maruti Suzuki Futuro-E interiors are followed by the current generation of Wagon R and find the same steering wheel and AC vents. The interior looks decidedly modern, with the dashboard layout consists of the recent generation of the SmartPlay Sound System, which will come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The car will also come with fully automatic climate control which was not available in the Wagon R.
The EV will not come with an electric brake as it will continue to get a manual parking brake behind the gear lever. Braking duties are going to be done by disc brakes in the front and drum brakes at the rear. The company will also provide regenerative braking as it will help to recover the lost energy while braking. The AC vents are pushed further into the dashboard accentuating a fighter jet styled design.
Price
Maruti Suzuki Futuro-E price is expected to range around Rs 10 lakh. It's range is expected to be around 180 km with fast charging capabilities, the battery should take one hour to charge up to 80 percent.
Competitors
The Futuro-e Concept previews the company's entrant into the compact SUV, and this implies that the company can track the likes of the Tata Harrier, Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and even the MG Hector. The future offering is also likely to arrive with only a petrol engine on offer. Maruti Suzuki has a limited presence in the SUV segment that is fast-growing.
CarInfo thinks that a coupe styled SUV is a first from Maruti Suzuki stable and we think that Indian buyers will like it.
