Leading carmaker Maruti is preparing to launch its own version of ‘Urban Cruiser Hyryder’, developed jointly with Toyota, and expects the mid-segment SUV to be a game-changer in the market.  

While Toyota commenced bookings for Urban Cruiser Hyryder on Friday, Maruti is planning to introduce its own version of the SUV along with the pricing during the third week of this month.   

“This new SUV has been designed and produced by Suzuki and Toyota and is being produced at Toyota’s factory. It has got both the mild hybrid system (which is Suzuki’s technology) and the strong hybrid system (of Toyota). This will be our offering in the mid-SUV segment,” Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Director (Marketing & Sales), Maruti Suzuki India, told BusinessLine.  

Fuel efficiency

The new mid-SUV will offer some unique and impressive fuel efficiency features. It will run on battery most of the time like an electric car ie almost 60 per cent of the time, it will run on electric mode. For the remaining 40 per cent, it will be supplemented with a gasoline engine, he added.  

With unique technology, there will not be any concerns over charging because the battery can get charged when the vehicle shifts to run on a gasoline engine. “This great combination will not only offer very high fuel efficiency but also result in lower running cost,” said Srivastava.  

With the new mid-segment SUV coming into its portfolio, the company said it would discontinue the production of the S-Cross. But it is working at the exact time for the stoppage of production of the vehicle.  

Bridging the SUV gaps

Srivastava said the company was focusing on addressing the gap in its SUV portfolio with the new launches. While the just launched all-new Vitara Brezza is expected to help the company strengthen its presence in the entry SUV segment, which accounts for 22 per cent of the passenger vehicle market, the upcoming large SUV is expected to make its presence felt in the mid-SUV segment, which accounts for about 18 per cent of the market. Maruti’s share in this segment is just three per cent.  

The mass production of the new mid-SUV will commence in August at the factory of Toyota near Bengaluru.  

Srivastava said Maruti was not only looking at increasing volumes in the SUV segment but also exploring sub-segments in SUVs to plug the gaps. “We need multiple SUVs to grow our share in the SUV segment, thereby increasing our overall market share in the PV segment to about 50 per cent in the future,” he added.  

The new Brezza has garnered over 46,000 bookings as of Friday. The company would increase production to cut the waiting period for its vehicles including the new Brezza. Its pending order book is more than 3 lakh units.  

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