To promote long-term cooperation in sectors such as electric vehicles and autonomous driving, Suzuki and Toyota signed a capital alliance agreement in 2019. Both companies will jointly develop new vehicles for the Indian market, sharing batteries, engines, and hybrid electric vehicle technologies. With this agreement, Maruti Suzuki plans to release numerous new SUVs and crossovers over the next two to three years.
In the mid-size SUV category, they'll compete with the Skoda Kushaq, Kia Seltos, MG Astor, Hyundai Creta, and Volkswagen Taigun. While the official launch date and features of the new Maruti SUV are not revealed but expected to hit the market in the second half of 2022.
This car has cutting-edge technology, such as a touchscreen infotainment system with wireless smartphone connectivity and wireless charging and a sunroof, to compete with its rivals in the industry, unlike Maruti Suzuki's new generation cars Daihatsu New Generation Architecture (DNGA) platform used for the new mid-size SUV and built on the same architecture, Toyota Raize subcompact SUV, currently on sale in a few global markets.
The new Maruti SUV can use Suzuki's 1.5L petrol engine with a more powerful hybrid system. The petrol engine produces 104 bhp and 138 Nm torque in its current avatar, and the company might also use the new 1.2L turbocharged petrol engine.
Also, the new Maruti SUV will be equipped with the Suzuki Swift sedan's 1.4L Boosterjet engine to Japanese specs. The oil burner can produce 138 bhp and 230 nm of torque at its peak.
