Spy pictures reveal Maruti LCV body shell

Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest carmaker in terms of sales, is gearing up to enter the LCV segment in the country. The company’s first vehicle is expected to be a mini pick-up truck, internally codenamed Y9T.

While the launch of the vehicle is still some time away, Gaadiwaadi.com has managed to procure pictures of the truck’s unpainted body shells. The website claims that these pictures have been taken inside the company’s factory premises.

Going by the pictures, it appears that the Y9T is likely to be based on the Suzuki Carry, which is sold in various markets around the world under different names. To keep costs down, certain parts for the truck, like the headlights, doors are expected to be carried over from the Omni. With the Y9T, Maruti will take on the Tata Ace, Mahindra Maxximo and Ashok Leyland Dost.

The Y9t is expected to be powered by an 800 cc, twin-cylinder diesel engine. This engine is also likely to be used in the Celerio hatchback and the Eeco. While the Y9T and Celerio are expected to be introduced in the market this fiscal, the Eeco diesel is not expected to be launched before 2016.