The EV market in India is getting intense as the competition is increasing by the day. Maruti Suzuki-Toyota is another player who is now working on an electric SUV with a range of up to 500 KM.
Both the companies are jointly working to bring this electric vehicle out for India as well as other international markets. While the automakers are working on this project together, the variants will differ in terms of design and style.
As per a report from AutoCar India, the Maruti Suzuki variant is codenamed YY8 and it sports a rather futuristic design. In terms of aesthetics, it looks totally different from the auto maker’s existing ICE-powered cars.
Both Toyota and Suzuki had signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2017 with the aim of co-developing electric vehicles for the Indian market. As per the agreement, Suzuki will produce EV’s for the Indian market and will supply some to Toyota as well. Toyota is expected to offer technical support for the electric models.
The new vehicle will be designed from scratch as opposed to the previous tried and tested methods of fitting the ICE vehicle with an electric powertrain. As per reports, the YY8 will be a 4.2 meter-long vehicle. Additional reports also indicate a 2,700mm wheelbase. The benefit of a wheelbase of this size is the company can fix a bigger battery which will, in turn, increase the overall range.
The SUV will feature both two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive variants. The two-wheel-drive variant will have a 138hp motor with a 48kWh battery and will offer up to 400Km of range under ideal conditions.
The four-wheel-drive variant on the other hand will arrive with two electric motors and will provide 170hp, a better 58kWh battery, and nearly 500 KM of range.
The key features of Toyota’s e-SUV will remain the same but you will notice a difference in terms of the design of the vehicle. The battery of the car is also going to be manufactured locally. As per reports, TDSG, a joint venture between Maruti-Suzuki, Denso, and Toshiba, is expected to manufacture these batteries in its Gujarat-based facility.
At the moment, it is not clear if Maruti Suzuki will introduce both the variants in India, however, it is being reported for now that Toyota will launch both the two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive variants in India.
As it will be Maruti’s first electric car in the Indian market the pricing will play a big role and the company will want to price it aggressively considering the competition in the Indian market.
As per reports, Maruti is expected to price the car in the 13 lakh- 14 lakh INR range which will pit it against the TATA Nexon EV.
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