[volkman10]

Maruti Suzuki 'ESCUDO' likely to be the new SUV .



> Y17 is the SUV, to be marketed through its Arena channel

> To be positioned above the Brezza but below its Grand Vitara

> Will rival Hyundai's Creta, retailing from its Arena outlet

> The SUV will be slightly longer than the Grand Vitara in dimensions, but more accessible in price and features.

> It will be offered with a hybrid powertrain and a dual-cylinder CNG variant, significantly expanding its appeal to fuel-economy-conscious urban and semi-urban consumers.

> Y17 will have a Toyota sibling too

> Maruti Suzuki targets a combined volume of 2 lakh units for the Y17 platform in FY26.

> Of this, 1 lakh units are earmarked for the domestic market through the Arena network. The remaining 1 lakh units will be split between exports and supplies to Toyota under their OEM partnership.

> Y17 will be manufactured at the company’s new Kharkhoda plant in Haryana. This plant is expected to offer better operating margins due to high levels of automation, component localisation, and supply chain proximity.


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[BoneCollector]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Maruti Suzuki 'ESCUDO' likely to be the new SUV .

Any timeline for this one? Is this the 7 seater one?

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by volkman10

> To be positioned above the Brezza but below its Grand Vitara

> Will rival Hyundai's Creta, retailing from its Arena outlet

> The SUV will be slightly longer than the Grand Vitara in dimensions, but more accessible in price and features.

> [b] It will be offered with a hybrid powertrain and a dual-cylinder CNG variant

Confusing to say the least. Started as a 7 seater of Grand Vitara, but now looks like an Arena version of Grand Vitara. Will rival the Creta but sits below the Grand Vitara? All the while, being larger than Grand Vitara?

Just pray that the 'hybrid' part is the Toyota one and not the mild one.

[theAutomaniac]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Maruti Suzuki 'ESCUDO' likely to be the new SUV .

They had trademarked Escudo a long time ago, but I was kinda hoping they'd keep the name safe for something more substantial. The name Escudo has some weight to itself and I feel it would've suited better to something like a Fortuner/ScorpioN rival. But then again, Escudo was always a different version of the Grand Vitara, so not very illogical.

Originally Posted by DicKy

Confusing to say the least. Started as a 7 seater of Grand Vitara, but now looks like an Arena version of Grand Vitara. Will rival the Creta but sits below the Grand Vitara? All the while, being larger than Grand Vitara?

Maruti has always had a multi-car strategy in all segments. A-segment has Alto and S-Presso, B1 has WagonR and Celerio, B2 has Swift, Ignis, and Baleno, Compact SUVs have Fronx and Brezza, and MPVs have XL6 and Ertiga.

Also, Maruti must've realized long ago that beating Creta with a single product is impossible and hence must be trying the same strategy here as well.

Guess this will be exactly what Ertiga is to the XL6, and the Escudo must've also been the reason why Grand Vitara's perfect base model has had features stripped off from its 2025 model.

[zeus18]

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

They had trademarked Escudo a long time ago, but I was kinda hoping they'd keep the name safe for something more substantial. The name Escudo has some weight to itself and I feel it would've suited better to something like a Fortuner/ScorpioN rival. But then again, Escudo was always a different version of the Grand Vitara, so not very illogical.

Suzuki Vitara is sold as Escudo in several markets.

Similar to how India-made Grand Vitara is longer than the global Suzuki Vitara, Indian Escudo will be longer than global Suzuki Escudo (Vitara).

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

Also, Maruti must've realized long ago that beating Creta with a single product is impossible and hence must be trying the same strategy here as well.

Guess this will be exactly what Ertiga is to the XL6, and the Escudo must've also been the reason why Grand Vitara's perfect base model has had features stripped off from its 2025 model.

Even in Europe, Suzuki has two crossovers in a same segment — SX4 S-cross and Vitara

[Carma2017]

This is not named the Escudo for sure. Escudo and Vitara/Grand Vitara badges have not been used together in any market. It's either the Vitara or the Escudo.

This car is meant to be the Seltos to the Creta, albeit from the same brand. My colleagues in the Supplier fraternity tell me that this would be perhaps an even bigger success than the Grand Vitara as it would have all the features of the Grand Vitara, including the Strong Hybrid, and may be more as well. I take it with a pinch of salt but if it happens, the customer gets more choices.

An interesting data about the Grand Vitara/Hyryder Twins is that appx 4000 of them are exported every month. If we add this to the average monthly sales of the twins, which is appx 15,300 unis per month combined, we get a total sales of 19,000 per annum which is actually more than what Creta does. This is especially interesting because again they are effectively the same car with minute differences unlike Creta-Seltos twins which are completely differentiated.

[sumeethaldankar]

I hope they change that name. Escudo sounds like something you say after one has sneezed. Why can't they just use the old badge names eg "Esteem" or something like how they did for the Baleno.

[ron178]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

I hope they change that name. Escudo sounds like something you say after one has sneezed. Why can't they just use the old badge names eg "Esteem" or something like how they did for the Baleno.

Escudo is indeed an old name and is what the old "OG" Grand Vitara was called in Japan.

I would like Maruti to name a crossover Altura though.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

The name Escudo has some weight to itself and I feel it would've suited better to something like a Fortuner/ScorpioN rival. But then again, Escudo was always a different version of the Grand Vitara, so not very illogical.

Same was said for the Grand Vitara badge, use Vitara for the present model and Grand Vitara for something substantial. But nope.

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

Maruti has always had a multi-car strategy in all segments. A-segment has Alto and S-Presso, B1 has WagonR and Celerio, B2 has Swift, Ignis, and Baleno, Compact SUVs have Fronx and Brezza, and MPVs have XL6 and Ertiga......Also, Maruti must've realized long ago that beating Creta with a single product is impossible and hence must be trying the same strategy here as well.

But all of them were different in some way or the other. Spresso has higher squared off bonnet and higher ride height compared to Alto. WagonR is unapologetically tallboy, while Celerio was a compromise between the Wagonr's utility and Swift's hatchback styling. Swift is driver centric, while Baleno is family centric. Brezza is larger and upright, while Fronx is coupeish. XL6 is Nexa version for people who don't want taxi image. Ignis.. well.. Maruti always has an underrated star in its line-up ready to be sacrificed without a second generation.

This model is said to be larger, yet cheaper, while having the same engines as the Grand Viatara. Without a third row. Confusing indeed. If they want to take on the Creta, it is not by carpet bombing the segment. Bigger turbo petrol needed. Diesel Maruti is a lost cause, though half of Creta sales from diesel is Maruti's loss. And Maruti should really up their touch and feel quality. Super thin external body panels. That mosquito net sunroof cover. Shameless parts sharing. All in their 15-20 lakhs flagship.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

Any timeline for this one? Is this the 7 seater one?

The new SUV will retail through the Arena channel in a segment above Brezza but below Grand Vitara and rivalling the Creta .
At 4.345 mm in length the SUV will have a large boot as compared to the Grand Vitara and could accommodate a dual-cylinder CNG setup—as well.

Launch will be closer to this festive season( Aug/Oct) with the Toyota variant coming in later.

There will be no 7 seat variant of the Grand Vitara as speculated.

[Carma2017]

Originally Posted by volkman10

The new SUV will retail through the Arena channel in a segment above Brezza but below Grand Vitara and rivalling the Creta .
At 4.345 mm in length the SUV will have a large boot as compared to the Grand Vitara and could accommodate a dual-cylinder CNG setup—as well.

Launch will be closer to this festive season( Aug/Oct) with the Toyota variant coming in later.

There will be no 7 seat variant of the Grand Vitara as speculated.

As per my knowledge, there is no Toyota variant for this. And neither is there any dual CNG set up as per my sources. What is strange though is that this car would not have any features lesser than the Grand Vitara feom what I hear. How the hell will this be cheaper then as rumoured?

[BoneCollector]

Originally Posted by Carma2017

What is strange though is that this car would not have any features lesser than the Grand Vitara from what I hear. How the hell will this be cheaper then as rumoured?

Maybe they'll use cheaper grade plastics in interior to cut costs. I sincerely hope they don't play with the sturdiness of the car or whatever is there.

[Aakash118]

They should bring the AWD with both manual & AT in lower variants. That will give it a big advantage over rivals and can also target the customers who find Jimny too small.

[PaddleShifter]

Originally Posted by Carma2017

As per my knowledge, there is no Toyota variant for this. And neither is there any dual CNG set up as per my sources. What is strange though is that this car would not have any features lesser than the Grand Vitara feom what I hear. How the hell will this be cheaper then as rumoured?

Contrary to what is being said about this getting a proper hybrid, I believe that this wont get the strong hybrid so the top end would be cheaper than the Grand Vitara. There is no logical manner to slot it between Brezza and Grand Vitara by other means such as interior plastic quality etc.

[after]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

I hope they change that name. Escudo sounds like something you say after one has sneezed. Why can't they just use the old badge names eg "Esteem" or something like how they did for the Baleno.

Escudo is a pretty old name in the Suzuki lineup, maybe not seen in India but it's existed since late 80s/early 90s. It's what the Vitara / Grand Vitara are called in Japan.

As an aside, the Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak is one of the most legendary cars in the Gran Turismo series. Most times if you saw this car lining up as an opponent, it's game over.

Credit: Google Images