The Future Maruti YY8 Electric Midsize SUV – Information Known To Date

Maruti Suzuki is lining up a number of new SUV launches for the Indian market. Towards the end of this month, the largest carmaker in the country will introduce the new-gen Brezza and it will be followed by an all-new midsize SUV that could go by the name Vitara. The five-seater co-developed with Toyota will debut next month before this festive season’s price announcement.

In 2023, Maruti Suzuki is expected to launch a compact crossover based on the Baleno’s Heartect platform and the India-spec Jimny lifestyle off-roader could follow it. We will also introduce a seven-seater range-topping premium SUV in the coming years. By the middle of this decade, Maruti Suzuki will expand its partnership with Toyota by bringing in its first all-electric SUV.

Internally codenamed YY8, it will reportedly feature a new radical styling philosophy and it will also target export markets, just like the upcoming Vitara. As for the dimensions, it will be bigger and wider than the Hyundai Creta and it will be similar in proportions to the MG ZS EV. However, it will likely be priced along the lines of the Tata Nexon EV – the country’s best-selling passenger EV currently.

Courtesy of a new dedicated electric skateboard architecture known as 27PL, derived from Toyota’s global 40PL, it will have a wheelbase length of 2,700 mm and the optimal packaging and flat floor should result in a spacious cabin. The Maruti Suzuki YY8 will be developed in both 2WD and AWD configurations but the domestic market may only get the 2WD variant.

One electric motor producing 138 hp works together with a 48 kWh Li-ion battery pack to provide a range of 400 km, while a twin-motor system producing 170 hp will work with a 59 kWh battery pack to provide a real-world range of 500 km.

There will be a high degree of localization, with a starting price of about Rs. 13 lakh (ex-showroom). The midsize electric SUV segment will certainly get interesting in the coming years as mainstream manufacturers will vie for the spotlight in the lucrative space.