A Grand Vitara replacement is not under consideration as of now by Suzuki, while there is very little chance of the company producing a larger SUV or 7-seater in the future.
Having unveiled the new and smaller Vitara earlier this month at the Paris Motor Show, Suzuki stated that the company was still considering replacing the ageing Grand Vitara in its lineup. Answering queries to the possibility of the next generation Grand Vitara or a likewise larger SUV, the automaker suggested that the company is still thinking about the concept of a larger SUV that could replace the Grand Vitara in the future hinting that a replacement is rather unlikely anytime soon.
Launched in 2005, the third generation Suzuki Grand Vitara has aged and has been holding Suzuki’s helm globally in the SUV space. It was expected that the automaker will also introduce the fourth generation model along with the new Vitara; however, the company seems to have other plans in mind. The new Vitara is relatively smaller in dimensions measuring 4170 mm in length, 1750 in width and 1610 mm in height. In comparison, the Grand Vitara is 4500 mm, 1810 mm and 1680 mm in length, width and height respectively. The Vitara even has a shorter wheelbase of 2500 mm compared to the Grand Vitara’s 2640 mm.
With the Grand Vitara most likely to end its run, Suzuki could be positioning the compact Vitara as its new flagship SUV. The Vitara is powered by 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engine options from the S-Cross producing 120 HP and 156 Nm of torque on the petrol and 120 HP and 320 Nm of torque on the diesel version. The SUV also gets the Suzuki ALLGRIP AWD system as standard on certain variants. The new Suzuki Vitara will go on sale across Europe and other markets by mid-2015, while production is set to commence at Suzuki’s Hungary plant by January 2015.
In an Indian context, the Suzuki Grand Vitara could not really take off in the market as much as its rivals but is still on sale in the country. Maruti Suzuki will most likely launch the new Vitara by 2017 in the country and should be brought in via the CKD route unlike the Grand Vitara. The SUV will rival mainly against the Skoda Yeti as a strict 5-seater and is expected to be priced in the Rs. 15-18 lakh range.
Source – Car Advice
