The Maruti YY8 electric SUV is expected to be priced from around Rs. 10 lakhs
Maruti Suzuki’s first electric vehicle (EV) for India will apparently come in the form of a compact SUV that will likely enter the market in 2024.
Internally code-named ‘YY8’, the EV should compete with the rumoured pure-electric version of the Tata Punch. It will be manufactured at the Suzuki Motor Gujarat factory.
Apart from its codename and tentative launch timeline, nothing else is known about the Maruti YY8 electric SUV, well, nothing else apart from the fact that it will be a product of Maruti and Toyota’s collaboration.
Since it is going to be a compact SUV, it is most likely that the EV will be underpinned by a heavily modified version of Maruti Suzuki’s HEARTECT platform.
But, the companies could very well choose to use the Daihatsu New Global Architecture (DNGA) which is the platform that is being used by them to develop products that will rival the Hyundai Creta.
Expected to be priced from around Rs. 10 lakhs, the Maruti YY8 electric SUV should come with a real world driving range of around 250 to 300 km. Of course, the same car will also be sold by Toyota under a different moniker and possibly with mildly different styling.
It seems that both Maruti and Toyota believe India is ready for mass market EVs, since they have set a production target, this is unverified, of 1.5 lakh units, which is ambitious.
Could the YY8 electric SUV be an electric Jimny? Such a move might prove to a smash hit among the masses in India. But, this is only a speculation for now.
Tata is clearly the leader in the electric passenger vehicle market and the brand has plentiful EVs lined up for launch, including the new Sierra, in the coming years. Will Tata be unstoppable? Or will Maruti be there to show who is the boss? Only time will reveal the answer.