Maruti Escudo SUV Launching Soon : The compact SUV segment in India is growing rapidly, where Hyundai Creta and Maruti Grand Vitara are at the forefront. But now to make this competition even more interesting, Maruti Suzuki is preparing to launch a new SUV. The codename of this SUV is Y17 and it can be brought under the name “Escudo”. The special thing is that this SUV will be sold from Maruti’s Arena dealerships, due to which its price can be less than Nexa vehicles.

What is Escudo and when can it come?

Maruti trademarked the name ‘Escudo’ in India last year. Although this name is used for Grand Vitara in countries like Japan, but in India it can come as a completely different ICE (petrol/hybrid/CNG) SUV. According to reports, Maruti is going to launch two new SUVs in 2025 – the first will be the electric eVitara and the second will be this new ICE SUV Escudo.

Also Read : Top 4 Budget-Friendly CNG + Petrol Cars in India You Can Buy in 2025

Earlier the plan was to make a 7-seater, now it will be a 5-seater

Earlier the plan was to make the Y17 a 7-seater version of the Grand Vitara, so that it could compete with big SUVs like Tata Safari, XUV700. But now the company has decided to launch this SUV as a 5-seater compact SUV, which will compete directly with the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos.

Escudo will be special in design and size

The length of the Grand Vitara is around 4,345 mm, while the Creta is 4,330 mm and the Seltos is 4,365 mm long. The Escudo may be slightly longer than these, which will provide more boot space. This will make this SUV even better for family and long drives.

Engine and variant details

The Escudo is expected to get the same engine setup that is currently offered in the Grand Vitara:

  • 1.5-litre petrol engine (103 PS power, 139 Nm torque)
  • Transmission options: 5-speed manual and 6-speed automatic
  • The CNG version will have 88 PS of power
  • The hybrid model will have a combination of a 1.5-litre engine and an electric motor, which will give a total power of up to 115 PS
  • The hybrid variant will get an e-CVT gearbox
  • There will be both 2WD and 4WD (AllGrip) options

It will be positioned between Brezza and Grand Vitara

Maruti will position this new SUV between its existing SUVs — Brezza and Grand Vitara. This means that it will be more affordable in price and will be offered as a smaller but more practical SUV than the Grand Vitara. The special thing is that it will be sold through Arena dealerships, which could make it cheaper than SUVs in the Nexa network.

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Production and sales target

Maruti plans to make around 2 lakh units of Escudo, which will be sold in India as well as exported. Also, Toyota will launch its own version of this SUV which will be based on Maruti’s Y17 model.

Conclusion

Maruti’s new SUV Escudo can bring a big change in the Indian market. Looking at its price, features and variants, it is clear that this SUV will directly compete with Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos. If you are looking for a big, affordable and multi-option SUV, then Escudo can be a great option for you.