Behind the curve in the EV race, Suzuki’s first electric gets a lot of things right, but pricing is key

The car is essentially the same as the one unveiled at the auto expo earlier in January, but some supply chain issues, including China’s clampdown on rare earth magnets early this year, are learnt to have delayed the production schedule. The eVitara also uses Chinese-made batteries, even as the company said it has plans to localise the battery packs in the due course.

The market launch is now expected in early 2026 and ahead of this, Maruti Suzuki is doubling down on the most important enabler for the EV push – building the charging infrastructure across the country. The Japanese carmaker, which sells nearly one out of every two cars in India with its predominantly internal combustion engine (ICE) cars, has said that it has installed over 2,000 exclusive charging points in more than 1,100 cities, a number of which are in its Nexa and other showrooms. Additionally, it has collaborated with some 13 charging point operators for access to a wider charging infrastructure.

For Suzuki, the eVitara is a bit of a tech showcase, given that the small carmaker, like most other Japanese auto companies, has been late to the electric party. This car will be shared with its partner Toyota and Maruti Suzuki executives said there’ll be more models coming off of this platform as well, as you see more and more electric cars. The eVitara faces rivals such as the Hyundai Creta EV, the Windsor, and the Tata Harrier EV.

Key Specs

From the outside, the car is typically a Maruti Suzuki – a modern polyhedral architecture that is not too flashy, when compared to a lot of unconventional EV designs that are now flooding the market. The car has a lot of sharp lines at the front and the back, and some muscular treatment in terms of flared wheel arches on the sides.

The car does look deceptively compact on the outside, but offers very clever usage of space inside. A signature floating center console with storage underneath, gives a modern, layered look unlike other Marutis in the market. The eVitara is built on the Suzuki HEARTECT-e electric platform and uses BYD’s famed Blade Batteries, an LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery known for offering high energy density, long life (3000+ cycles), and supporting fast charging via Cell-to-Pack (CTP) tech. The cells are integrated directly into the battery pack for better space use and structural rigidity. The pack uses a liquid cooling technology for heat management.

Available in 2WD (2-wheel drive) and 4WD configurations, the EV produces 142 brake horse power/189 Newton meters of torque in the standard version and 172 bhp/300 Nm in the AWD. For safety, it gets Level 2 ADAS with lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and 7 airbags. The car will come in three trim levels.

Drive Experience

Start driving the car, and it feels distinctly different from what one is used to from Maruti Suzuki, whether it’s the handling department or the steering feel. Two big screens dominate much of the car’s cabin upfront that is both new and pretty functional, though the software does seem to have a lag sometimes. The Chinese are way ahead in that department.

With a lot of Maruti Suzuki ICE (internal combustion engine) cars, because they’re trying so hard to get that high mileage figure, some of the performance seems a tad compromised. In this case too, the instant acceleration that is generally associated with EVs, the pushed-back-into-the-seat kind of acceleration that electrics typically offer, is not that pronounced here. That said, the eVitara is not a dull machine to drive, and feels solid throughout, with a planted ride. The EV is responsive in a way that it will hold its own against competition. The positioning of the eVitara will be that of a reliable, easy to maintain, and economical to run EV that is reasonably hi-tech too.

What the Maruti Suzuki engineers seem to have done is to try and find a good balance between battery power consumption and having a higher range. There is a choice of three drive modes, though for the most parts, the drive modes don’t have a major sense of distinction between them. A rotary dial for slotting the gears into the reverse, drive or neutral positions gives the central console a modern feel, and there’s electronic parking too. The physical controls for climate control and other selections are similar to the ones on most Marutis and are very easy to toggle with while driving.

The steering wheel itself is a little bit squarish, and it takes a little getting used to. Once that is done, it does feel nice.

Like most electrics, the handling of the car is really good, even though some tyre/road noise filtered in through the wheel wells of the car your correspondent had driven. The boot volume stretches from a modest 244 to 562 liters, depending on the configuration of the rear seats that come in a more practical 40:20:40 split as against the traditional 60:40 split. The contouring on the seat is good, but the problem is that the headroom on the rear does feel a little compromised. Also, because of the battery pack, the rear seats seem to lack a bit of under-thigh support and one tends to sit in a kind of knees-up position, which could be an issue in long drives.

In all, the eVitara drive character is perfect for a relaxed, everyday car use, and it’s a good looking car. It will be yet another SUV additional to the Maruti Suzuki stables, which has a growing portfolio of four SUV models already. This one will retail from the Nexa channel. The eVitara is now Maruti’s second model in the Indian market with ADAS, after the Victoris.

If Maruti is going for volumes, pricing is expected to be aggressive. At the low end, the smaller 41 kWh battery is likely to start at around 17 lakh rupees, undercutting the 42 kWh Hyundai Creta electric. But at the higher end, the 61 kWh battery sits well above the Creta’s 51 kWh battery, and that model comes in at the Rs 24 lakh mark. The eVitara could be priced slightly higher.

Maruti Suzuki plans to offer a subscription-based buying experience through Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS), where the customers can buy the car without the battery being included in the costing. They can, instead, rent the battery and pay monthly, thereby reducing the upfront buying cost. The battery typically accounts for between 40-50 per cent of the total cost of the vehicle. This model, pioneered in India by JSW MG Motor India for its Windsor model, has helped the MG car become India’s top selling EV shortly after its launch. In terms of positioning, the Hyundai Creta electric, though, would be the key eVitara rival.

So, it could be then game on then for these long-time ICE rivals, who will now cross paths on the electric field too.

(The drive was organised by Maruti Suzuki India)