Earlier this year, Maruti Suzuki ditched all its existing diesel models from its portfolio and said it will focus on making hybrid and fully electric powertrain for the future
New report from Business Standard suggests that starting from the second half of next year, the Indo-Japanese car manufacturer is going to launch five new models every six months until the end of 2023. Out of these, one of the most exciting upcoming product will be the new generation Vitara Brezza.
The subcompact UV has been one of the most popular in its segment, as its sales volume over the years suggest. Ever since its launch in 2016, the compact crossover has raked in healthy numbers for the brand and had been occupying the numero uno position in its segment, until recently.
Future Maruti Suzuki Cars
Apart from the new gen Celerio, Alto and Brezza; Maruti is also working on multiple other cars, which will all be launched by the end of 2024. These include an all new MPV, larger than Ertiga – to rival Mahindra Marazzo / Innova Crysta.
Another crossover in the sub 4m segment, smaller than Brezza. A larger SUV to replace the S-Cross, to rival the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos. And made in India Jimny. Surprisingly there is no mention of the all electric WagonR in the table shared by Business Standard.
What new can be expected by the new Vitara Brezza?
The sub-4m compact crossover got a mid-life facelift earlier this year which ditched the much revered 1.3-litre diesel unit and adopted a 1.5-litre K-Series petrol engine. Given it is a key product in the company portfolio, Maruti Suzuki is expected to provide lots of major upgrades to the new model.
In terms of features, expect the 2022 Maruti Brezza to be offered with LED headlamps, LED tail lamps, new alloys, larger touchscreen on the inside, sunroof, more creature comforts and space for passengers, etc. It is still expected to be powered by a petrol unit (most probably the current one) since the brand has done away with oil-burners altogether. However, it might get an updated hybrid powertrain setup which boosts the output figures and fuel economy as well.
Benefits of 48-Volt Mild Hybrid System
The next-gen Maruti Suzuki cars, in all probability will employ a new 48V SHVS system, a successor to the current 12-volt SHVS system. This new mild hybrid setup would serve as a replacement for fuel injection. This new 48V mild hybrid setup would offer a new electric motor idling function which gets activated when the clutch is disengaged at a low engine speed. This would not only ensure better output and reduce fuel consumption but also reduce CO2 emission levels.
The advanced 48V SHVS system is set to offer a much enhanced torque figure of 235 Nm from 2,000 rpm thus radically improving its low-end performance. The current 12V SHVS only improves its fuel economy slightly and has no such effect on its output. This setup is only offered in the automatic variants of Vitara Brezza currently. Hopefully in the next-gen model tha advanced hybrid model is made available in the manual trims as well.
Maruti Suzuki launched ‘Mission Green Million’ at this year’s AutoExpo with a target of selling 1 million eco-friendly cars in India. This includes advanced hybrid powertrains and pure electric powertrains. The company is said to source its battery for its upcoming hybrid vehicles from TDSG, India’s first Lithium-ion Battery manufacturing facility jointly set up by Suzuki Motor Corporation, Toshiba Corporation and Denso Corporation in Gujarat. This facility is set to begin mass production from next year.
