New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki (Maruti Suzuki) has confirmed that its upcoming premium 7-seater MPV will debut in India on 5 July. This MPV car will be based on Toyota Innova. India’s largest carmaker has released a teaser picture of the upcoming Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV), which will be named Engage. Maruti will bring petrol and hybrid versions of the Engage MPV as it plans to bet big on utility vehicles. Maruti Suzuki is already on the offensive in the SUV segment with four launches in the last 12 months.

Strong Hybrid Technology

In April this year, Maruti Suzuki had confirmed the Engage three-row premium MPV as its next launch after launching the Fronx and Jimny SUVs. The carmaker had also hinted that the Engage, which will be based on Toyota Motor’s popular Innova, is not aimed at driving sales like other Maruti cars.

RC Bhargava, President, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said that the Engage MPV will be a pioneering vehicle with strong hybrid technology. “The numbers (sales figures) will ultimately depend on the situation after the car hits the market. Toyota vehicles currently have a waiting period of 12 months,” he added.

Engine 

The new Maruti Suzuki Engage MPV (Maruti Suzuki Engage MPV) will be made available with and without the 2.0-litre petrol engine and hybrid technology. Both the powertrains have been sourced from the Toyota Innova Highcross. The 2.0-litre Strong Hybrid version generates 186PS of max power and 206Nm of torque. It can be had with E-CVT gearbox. The 2.0-litre petrol motor generates 174PS of max power and 205Nm of torque. The engine could get a CVT automatic transmission.

Features

The new Maruti MPV may get a different interior theme, while the feature list will be similar to the Innova Highcross. This means that it will be the first model from the Indo-Japanese automaker to offer Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). It will also get features like 360 degree camera, second row seats with ottoman function, a new 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system, dual pane panoramic sunroof.

Maruti Suzuki and Toyota Agreement

Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation) and Suzuki Motor Corporation (Suzuki Motor Corporation) in 2018 agreed to a capital alliance to establish and promote long-term partnership and cooperation in new areas. Both the carmakers had also agreed to sell each other’s vehicles in India.

Under the agreement of Maruti Suzuki and Toyota, there are many models in common between the two. The most recent of which are the Grand Vitara (Grand Vitara) and the Urban Cruiser Hyryder (Urban Cruiser Hyrider). Both these mid-size SUVs are being manufactured at Toyota’s Bidadi plant. Previously, models like the Baleno and Glanza, and the Brezza and Urban Cruiser were essentially re-badged versions of each other.

Expectations

Maruti Suzuki already offers two three-row models namely the Ertiga and the XL6. Both the MPVs have been holding their positions very firmly in the sales charts. However, the upcoming Engage three-row MPV could potentially help the company tap into an entirely new segment of customers. This is especially important as the company expects demand for its small vehicles to remain flat throughout 2023-24.