With the Fronx, Grand Vitara and Jimny, Suzuki seems to have the SUV and crossover space rather well covered.
But in this SUV-obsessed world enough is never enough and in order to capitalise on the craze Maruti Suzuki of India, which supplies almost all of South Africa’s Suzuki models, is said to be planning two more.
Autocar India reports that the manufacturer is working on a new entry-level SUV product to launch around 2026 or 2027, as well as a larger seven-seater based on the current Grand Vitara, which could hit the scene around 2025.
“The SUV trend is becoming bigger,” Maruti Suzuki CEO Tisashi Takeuchi told Autocar Professional.
“At present, the main SUV categories are 4 metres and 4.3 metres, but they will expand further - a little bit at the lower end and also at the upper end. There are gaps, we can offer something at the bottom and something at the top, we will try to fill those gaps.”
Although the current S-Presso and Ignis models have SUV-inspired designs, Suzuki insiders have told Autocar India that the new compact high-rider will boast a design that’s more along the lines of a “proper SUV”, allowing it to compete more effectively with models like the new Hyundai Exter.
Of course, for cost reasons it won’t have “proper SUV” underpinnings like the ladder-frame Jimny. Thus Suzuki’s Heartect platform that underpins the Swift and S-Presso, among others, will almost certainly form the basis of the new compact, which is set to slot beneath the Brezza.
Sadly Suzuki no longer sells the four-metre Brezza in South Africa even though the previous version and its Urban Cruiser sibling, hit a sweet spot for South Africans looking for an SUV presenting the best compromise between size and price. The new Brezza is no longer earmarked as an export model for reasons undisclosed.
However the upcoming entry-level SUV, though far from confirmed, is a likely candidate for local introduction and it could scoop up many Swift owners who are looking to make the SUV migration. In fact don’t be too surprised if the upcoming compact shared its floorpan and cabin architecture with the new Swift hatch, while differentiating itself with a taller SUV body.
The larger seven-seater based on the Grand Vitara could also be a decent fit for the South African market and it would be a natural rival to the currently uncontested Hyundai Grand Creta. Not much is known about the upcoming “Grander Grand Vitara” but it is rumoured to have a hybrid drivetrain. Because let’s face it, the trusty and ever prolific 1.5-litre K15B engine is, on its own, probably not up to the task of moving an even larger bodyshell…