Maruti's Hyundai Creta rival with 1.2L turbo engine arriving next year - Report

07/01/2019 - 18:12 Maruti S-Cross, Maruti Suzuki Sagar Parikh

Maruti Suzuki plans to launch a new Hyundai Creta rivaling premium B-SUV in 2020, as per a new report from Autocar India.

Suzuki iV-4 Compact SUV Concept — Maruti Suzuki's new Hyundai Creta rival will likely sit on a modified version of the next-gen Suzuki Vitara’s platform.

The Hyundai Creta and Maruti S-Cross both are premium B-segment crossovers technically. However, the former is marketed and looks like a premium SUV, while the latter is marketed as a “premium crossover” and looks like one. The South Korean offering sells about four times Maruti's volume mainly due to its SUV-like design and better equipment package.

In response, Maruti Suzuki is planning a new SUV with a boxy and muscular look and an upright stance for a more dominating road presence preferred by Indian customers. "We are studying that type of vehicle, a big-size SUV. We are discussing here and in Japan to see whether we can develop it," Kenichi Ayukawa, MD and CEO, Maruti Suzuki, told the magazine in a recent interview. This Maruti S-Cross replacement will likely sit on a modified version of the next-gen Suzuki Vitara’s platform. Expect it to measure around 4.3 metres long.

A company source has told the magazine that Maruti Suzuki will offer its new Hyundai Creta rival with two engine options: 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol and 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel. The diesel engine, codenamed ‘E15A’, will debut in the Maruti Ciaz this year.

The petrol engine in question is a new unit that has come to light. The company was considering its K15B 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine first, but then it decided to go with an all-new 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine instead.

“SUVs of this size need to have strong mid-range performance, which only a turbo-petrol engine can provide,” the company source said.