The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara has become another crown jewel for the carmaker, as it recently reached the milestone of 1 lakh sales in India. This midsize SUV, the first of its kind from Maruti Suzuki, achieved this feat within a year of its launch in September 2022.
The Grand Vitara SUV has consistently performed well for Maruti Suzuki in India. It made an impressive debut, with 4,769 units sold in its first month of sales. In March 2023, the Grand Vitara surpassed the 10,000 sales mark in a single month for the first time. The peak sales month for the Grand Vitara so far was August 2023 when Maruti Suzuki shipped 11,818 units of the SUV.
From the day of its launch in September 2022 until August 31, 2023, Maruti Suzuki sold 99,317 units of the Grand Vitara. It is believed that the Grand Vitara crossed the 1,00,000 sales mark within the first two or three days of September. With the upcoming festive season, Maruti Suzuki is anticipating even better month-on-month sales numbers for the Grand Vitara, which has become one of the most popular midsize SUVs in the country.
The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara was introduced in the Indian car market as a direct rival to high-selling midsize SUVs like the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos. Despite not offering a diesel engine option, unlike the Creta and Seltos, this midsize SUV has been giving them tough competition since its launch.
Since its launch, the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara has been available with two powertrain options: a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine and a 1.5-litre petrol-electric strong hybrid. The 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine is a four-cylinder unit, shared with other Maruti Suzuki models like the Ertiga, Brezza, and XL6. In the Grand Vitara, this engine produces a maximum power output of 103 bhp and a maximum torque output of 138 Nm. It is offered with the choice of a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission. This powertrain is available across four variants: Sigma, Delta, Zeta, and Alpha.
Grand Vitara gets optional hybrid powertrain
The 1.5-litre strong hybrid powertrain in the Grand Vitara is a unique offering in the midsize SUV category, not found in other SUVs in its segment (except for its badge-engineered version, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder). This powertrain combines a 1.5-litre three-cylinder 92 bhp petrol engine, a 79 bhp electric motor, and a battery. In combined mode, it claims to deliver a maximum power output of 115 PS and a claimed fuel efficiency of 27.97 kmpl. This hybrid powertrain is restricted to only two high-spec variants: Zeta+ and Alpha+.
In 2023, Maruti Suzuki introduced CNG-powered variants of the Grand Vitara, based on the 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine. These variants are offered in two options: Delta and Zeta, with a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard.
Currently, the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara competes with the Hyundai Creta, the updated Kia Seltos, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, the Volkswagen Taigun, the Skoda Kushaq, and the newly-launched Honda Elevate and Citroen C3 Aircross.
