After its trial with hybrid cars, the country’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, is set to launch its first electric car, the eVX, in the Indian market by March next year, and given Maruti’s eye for perfection, we could expect a high-performing car that is priced judiciously.
Like the Toyota versions of Maruti cars such as the Glanza (Baleno) and Urban Cruiser (Brezza), the eVX will also have a Toyota version.
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| Maruti Suzuki eVX is being tested on the roads. |
eVX to roll out in FY25
Executives at Maruti Suzuki have confirmed that the eVX will be rolled out in the financial year 2024-25. Besides being made for the Indian market, the eVX will also be exported.
According to the report, the price of the electric vehicle (EV) will be announced in early 2025. Maruti is already testing the eVX on Indian roads.
Maruti Suzuki’s entry into the electric vehicle space has been in phases. From internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, it transformed into hybrid vehicles, and finally, it is stepping into the EV arena.
By 2031, it is planning an extensive roll out of electric vehicles.
Range, battery of eVX
Talking about the development, a senior Maruti Suzuki executive has said, “Our EV concept has been unveiled already. The concept will be a high-specification SUV that can do 550 km on a single charge and have a 60kWh battery.”
However, the company has remained mum on the number of cars it is planning to manufacture initially.
Expected price of eVX
Maruti cars are wisely priced but there is no confirmation on the eVX’s pricing. However, it is speculated that the price could be over Rs 10 lakh (Rs 1 million).
While Maruti Suzuki has grabbed a dominant market share in affordable petrol cars, the eVX may be priced much higher than the Tata Tiago EV, considering its size.
In fact, pricing of the eVX would be similar to that of the Tata Nexon EV, which probably would also be its immediate competitor.
eVX manufacturing site
The eVX and its Toyota version will be manufactured at Suzuki Motor Gujarat’s (SMG) Hansalpur plant, which is around 90 km away from Ahmedabad.
The facility has an operational capacity of 750,000 units a year. It has been in operation since 2017 and cars such as the Baleno, Swift, DZire, and Fronx are being rolled out from this unit. SMG is a wholly-owned arm of Maruti Suzuki India.
eVX to be built on Toyota platform
The eVX and its Toyota sibling will be built on Toyota’s 27PL skateboard platform.
Besides, this platform could be utilised to build more mass-market EVs of the two companies in the future.
The eVX SUV is likely to be 4.3 metres long and could have adequate cabin space because of its born-EV architecture.
E-Vroooom’s views
Maruti has been a high-performance car maker with its ICE engine cars. However, it is yet to be tested as a maker of EVs.
With Maruti Suzuki being a car maker with high-quality vehicles and judicious pricing, we feel that the eVX will be a direct competitor to Tata Nexon EV and could dent its sales substantially.
With Maruti Suzuki being a car maker with high-quality vehicles and judicious pricing, we feel that the eVX will be a direct competitor to Tata Nexon EV and could dent its sales substantially.
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