Maruti revs up SUV space with Rs 14-lakh Grand Vitara

After tasting success with mid size sedan SX4, Maruti Udyog Ltd today launched the newer version of its lone offering in the SUV segment Grand Vitara.

After tasting success with mid size sedan SX4, Maruti Udyog Ltd today launched the newer version of its lone offering in the SUV segment Grand Vitara. Priced at Rs 13.80-14.80 lakh ex-showroom Delhi, Vitara will lock horns with Honda CR-V and Ford Endeavour.

“We are seen as a volume player but this is a niche class leading SUV and not a mainstay as a volume model. Vitara will be completely imported from Japan as a completely built unit (CBU),” said MUL managing director and CEO Jagdish Khattar.

Vitara’s two litre gasoline engine belts out a maximum power of 119.5 bhp 5500 rpm with a torque of 170 Nm 3,500 rpm. This is the company’s fifth launch in less than eleven months and one of the biggest reasons for Maruti’s inspired sales performance even when the industry is reeling under the impact of high interest rates.

The company posted a high 25.5 per cent sales growth in June this year and 17 per cent growth in the first quarter. Khattar, however, sought to play it down. “The interest rates are impacting sales and one month’s numbers should not be the basis of a conclusion. We have had more new launches this year from Swift diesel to SX4 which did not have any base last year. In the months to come we don’t expect such high numbers,” he said.