Maruti lines up 9 new SUVs, MPVs for launch by 2028

80 percent of future launches from Maruti will be in the utility vehicle space.

Published On Jan 14, 2025 04:17:00 PM

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Tata Motors recently overtook Maruti Suzuki as the maker of India’s No.1 car last year. Maruti lost this position due to a surge in SUV sales, and it now plans to remedy that by launching over half a dozen utility vehicles (UVs) in the next three years. Over the next five years, the company’s portfolio may see 10 new models, including upgrades to its existing line-up.

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Maruti’s launch pipeline includes models ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 30 lakh, and these utility vehicles will have various powertrains, including petrol, CNG, hybrid and electric.

Maruti Y17 to be flagship SUV

The year 2025 starts with the launch of the e Vitara midsize SUV in March, followed by the company’s most premium SUV to date – internally called Y17 – in the second half of 2025. This three-row version of the Grand Vitara has been spied testing in the country, and the test mule showed a longer wheelbase and a longer rear overhang, likely to accommodate the third row of seats. The spy shots also showed that Maruti’s new flagship will borrow styling cues from the e Vitara. The Maruti Y17 SUV will challenge the Mahindra XUV700 and Tata Safari when it launches later in the year.

Maruti UV launches planned in 2026 and 2027

In 2026, an electric MPV based on the e Vitara SUV’s architecture (YMC) will hit the roads to challenge the upcoming Kia Carens EV by September. This will followed by an entry-level SUV, codenamed Y43, which will take on the likes of the Tata Punch and Hyundai Exter.

Two more sub-compact utility vehicles are planned for 2027. The first one is an alternative to the Renault Triber, internally known as YDB and based on the Suzuki Solio MPV. The second one would be a small SUV (code: YK9) that's likely to be based on the Suzuki Hustler.

Maruti UV launches planned for 2028 and beyond

Given the five- to six-year lifecycles of cars, upgrades are planned for the Fronx, Ertiga, XL6 and Grand Vitara in 2028. This will ensure that Maruti Suzuki floods the market with a new range of SUVs and MPVs to expand the choices for prospective buyers.

An email sent to Maruti Suzuki did not elicit any response.

Maruti Suzuki investments and market share in India

On the investment side, Maruti Suzuki has lined up a budget of over Rs 1 lakh crore in the coming decade. This will fund capacity expansion through various new models and ensure the company stays relevant to changing market dynamics. Interestingly, the responsibility for launching several of these new models are being assigned to the Indian R&D base, which will ensure low-cost products tailored to Indian market needs and quick time to market.

The investment is not in top hats or body styles alone, but it is in different, cleaner powertrains – biofuel, ethanol, CNG, hybrid, and electric vehicles – along with conventional petrol-driven cars. With rising input costs and higher costs to meet regulations, the entry-level hatchback segment has shrunk dramatically, severely impacting the company’s market share.

Given the falling hatchback market, Maruti Suzuki's market share is currently down to 40-41 percent, its lowest in almost a decade. At the end of 2024, utility vehicles accounted for close to 70 percent of the market. The company has a share of about 27 percent in this space.

However, Maruti dominates the non-UV space in the country. In the car segment – hatchbacks and sedans – the company has a share of over 67 percent, and in the van segment, the company has over 90 percent.

In an earlier interview with our sister publication Autocar Professional, Hisashi Takeuchi, MD and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India, indicated that the company does not have enough SUVs and there are gaps to fill. Maruti had only four in the market, out of the 55 SUVs on sale.

Interestingly, Suzuki‘s upcoming electric hatchback, called Kei EV internally and based on the eWX concept, is also a tallboy, SUV-ish, boxy vehicle aimed at entry-level EV buyers.

With inputs from Ashutosh Radhey Shyam

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