Latest news with #SuzukieVitara
South Wales Argus
14-07-2025
- Automotive
- South Wales Argus
Suzuki celebrates its heritage as it looks ahead to launch of full EV
Suzuki held a special event to celebrate 55 years of four-wheel-drive motoring – and the company now has its sights firmly fixed on the next chapter in its history. The Japanese manufacturer is fiercely proud of its heritage, and took the chance to showcase the off-road capabilities of different generations of its fleet in the challenging terrain of Monster Mountain, near Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. A line-up of Suzuki vehicles at Monster Mountain (Image: Newsquest) For over a decade, Suzuki has offered every model in its range with the option of all-wheel-drive, with the technology more recently becoming known as ALLGRIP. And it will take that philosophy into the next stage of its story when it launches a full EV later this year. Like its conventionally-powered predecessors, the e Vitara will be available with AWD as Suzuki strives to combine its off-road expertise with the demands of the electric era. A few demonstrator e Vitaras are already on these shores and the order book has been open since June, with the range starting from £29,999. The main bulk of the new vehicles won't arrive in the UK until October, when the official launch is set to take place. The new Suzuki e Vitara (Image: Suzuki) With such a pivotal date approaching, Suzuki was keen to remind the motoring media of its pedigree in producing reliable and characterful 4x4s with plenty of standard kit at an affordable price. To know where you're going, you have to know where you've been. With that in mind, the company assembled a selection of vehicles from across the generations, and we were invited to put them to the test. I took the chance to try out a couple of retro versions of the Grand Vitara – a model first launched by Suzuki in 1998. Despite their advancing years, the robust vehicles made light work of the rough and rocky tracks on a spoil tip near an opencast coal mine. The Grand Vitara heralded a switch to rack-and-pinion steering, providing handling with a more direct feel – something I appreciated when cornering swiftly during faster sections of the track. After more than quarter of a century, the vehicle still provided excellent ride quality and stability on challenging surfaces. There was a chance to drive Grand Vitaras and other vehicles from Suzuki's heritage (Image: Newsquest) And so to the big question? Can Suzuki transfer the pillars of its past success into the future, specifically with its first foray into all-electric motoring? The company is certainly making all the right noises about the e Vitara, stating that it will be an 'authentic SUV using all of that 55 years of 4x4 heritage. The e Vitara will be one of only three all-electric compact SUVs offering optional four-wheel-drive, continuing Suzuki's tradition of trying to offer something a bit different from the ordinary. In essence, it will be designed to be a simple and well-equipped car that's easy to drive and pleasant to live with, but with that added sure-footed reassurance of AWD. According to official figures, the most efficient version of the e Vitara will be able to do 264 miles between charges, although that reduces to 246 miles for the dual motor 4WD version. India is a huge market for Suzuki and, as such, the company is focusing more of its research and development in the south Asian country. The new e Vitara will be built exclusively in India and, interestingly, it will be the first Suzuki vehicle exported from India that's not on domestic sale over there. Having never offered a full EV before, Suzuki has set about winning the battle for hearts and minds among its loyal customers. A big part of that will involve getting its dealerships up and down the country enthused about the vehicle they'll be selling. To that end, some of the early arrivals in the UK are currently being taken around the showrooms to provide a tantalising taste of the future.
NZ Autocar
19-06-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Autocar
New Suzuki e Vitara undercuts Elroq and EV3
The compact Suzuki e Vitara electric SUV is now available in the UK and is selling for less than EV3 and Skoda Elroq. That makes it amongst the most affordable in its class. It also comes with the option of all-wheel drive. Expect it here in 2026. An entry-level variant will be available with a 49kWh battery. Every other version gets a 61kWh battery pack, good for almost 400km of range. New electric Vitara cannot compete on range with the EV3 and Elroq, both being around the 600km mark. Despite a claimed maximum charging speed of 150kW, the e Vitara takes around 30 minutes to recharge from 15 to 70 per cent. See our Suzuki Swift RSC review here. The base model has a 106kW/189Nm motor. A medium-spec variant will come with a 128kW motor also driving the front wheels. Meantime, the top AWD variant has dual motors good for 135kW/300Nm. An Allgrip e 4wd system has a Trail mode that brakes spinning wheels and can send torque across the axle for improved traction. Normal, Eco and Sport modes are also available, while a button on the centre console ramps up the regen. Available to order from July, Suzuki hasn't yet revealed full specifications for the two trim levels. However, much is already known about this newcomer. New electric platform The e Vitara sits on a new EV-dedicated platform called 'Heartect-e'. Suzuki jointly developed it with Toyota and Daihatsu. A heat pump comes standard fit. At 4275mm long and with a wheelbase of 2700mm, the e Vitara is 100mm longer than its ICE power sib. There's an extra 200mm between the wheels for added interior space. It is wider and taller too, though is obviously heavier. The lightest version weighs in at 1702kg, while the dual-motor variant is nearly 1900kg. By contrast, the heaviest petrol Vitara is 1375kg. The design of the e Vitara echoes that of the Suzuki eVX concept revealed in January 2023. Key features include angular wheelarches, a sloping roofline, and extensive use of plastic cladding. There's a three-point matrix lighting signature at the front and rear. Both 18- and 19-inch alloy wheels will be on offer. The e Vitara has slightly more complex body surfacing than the concept while there's no faux-skid plate. Production versions use conventional door handles versus flush-mount items for the concept. The rear ones are hidden in the C-pillar. Its charging port is above the front-right wheelarch. Interior and practicality The concept's interior design isn't quite so motor-show ready but is a step forward on that of the ICE Vitara. Behind the two-spoke steering wheel is a 10.25-inch digital driver's display, part of a widescreen set-up that includes the 10.1-inch central infotainment screen. There's a small row of physical climate controls located on the dash, and a floating centre console. Also present are a rotating gear selector, a wireless charging pad, cup-holders and a large storage area underneath the centre console with charge outlets. The floor in the rear, while flat, is set high which might not suit taller adults. There's another pair of charging ports and two sets of ISOFIX child-seat mount points in the rear. Its 306-litre boot isn't huge; the smaller Jeep Avenger has 355 litres, by comparison. The Suzuki does feature a 60:40-split sliding rear bench though. It can be pulled forward by approximately 20cm. Even so, a high boot floor means maximum e Vitara luggage space is only 320 litres. Suzuki's will share electric tech with Toyota Toyota's Urban Cruiser is a rebadged e Vitara. It is the second electric model in its passenger car range after the bZ4X. And these will also be joined by the C-HR EV soon. Toyota and Suzuki have been working together on vehicles since 2016. In the UK, Toyota's Corolla Touring Sports and RAV4 PHEV have been rebadged as Suzuki Swace and Across, respectively. We asked Suzuki New Zealand about its intentions for e Vitara and it says it plans to launch the EV here next year. Timing is yet to be confirmed but CEO, Gary Collins, says it will likely here early to midway though next year.
Hindustan Times
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Made-in-India Suzuki e Vitara launched in the UK. India launch in…
The Suzuki e Vitara is now available in the UK priced between 29,999 Pounds and 37,799 Pounds (approx. ₹35-44 lakh) Notify me Suzuki has launched its maiden all-electric offering, the e Vitara, in the UK. The new Suzuki e Vitara is priced at 29,999 Pounds (approx. ₹ 35 lakh) in the UK for the base variant, going up to 37,799 Pounds (approx. ₹ 44 lakh) for the top-spec variant. The e-Vitara is manufactured in India at Suzuki's facility in Gujarat and exported to global markets. The model is slated to arrive in the country later this year. UK-Spec Suzuki e Vitara: Battery & Range The UK-spec Suzuki e Vitara is available in two variants - Motion and Ultra. The 49 kWh battery pack is available only on the Motion trim, while the larger 61 kWh battery pack is available on both trims. The latter also gets Suzuki's AllGrip all-wheel drive system that sends power to all four wheels. The e Vitara with the 49 kWh battery promises a range of 346 km (WLTP), while the 61 kWh version has a higher range of 428 km (WLTP) on a single charge. The automaker is offering a warranty of 10 years/160,000 km on the vehicle and battery in the UK. Also Read : Maruti Suzuki cuts near-term e Vitara production plan amid rare earth magnet crisis The Suzuki e Vitara is available in two variants - Motion and Ultra, in the UK. Battery options include a 49 kWh and 61 kWh with the latter getting a dual-motor setup The e Vitara is powered by a single motor on the lower trims, which produces 142 bhp. The higher trims get the dual-motor setup with 4WD churning out 178 bhp and 300 Nm of peak torque. The dual motor variants are paired with only the 61 kWh battery pack, offering a reduced range of 412 km (WLTP). Maruti Suzuki e Vitara: India Launch The Maruti Suzuki e Vitara made its India debut at the 2025 Bharat Mobility Global Expo in January, and was slated to arrive in the domestic market by March this year. However, the launch has been delayed to September this year. The e Vitara is made in India at the automaker's plant in Gujarat for global markets. The launch is slated for September, according to Maruti's previous announcement Not just the e Vitara, Suzuki will also manufacture its badge-engineered cousin, the Toyota Urban Cruiser EV, which was also showcased at Bharat Mobility, for global markets. That said, Toyota India is yet to announce a timeline for the launch of the model in the country. Needless to say, the e Vitara will be hitting the showroom floors first. Suzuki will be churning out about 70,000 units of the e Vitara in its first year of production, most of which have been allocated for exports. That said, production plans were rejigged in the wake of the rare earth magnet shortages, reducing the outflow for the first two quarters (Q1 & Q2) of FY2026. The company now plans to produce 8,200 units, against a previous estimate of 26,500 units during the same period. It needs to be seen if Maruti will be able to hold on to the September timeline for launching the e Vitara or will have to rework its plans again for India. Check out Upcoming EV Cars in India. First Published Date: 18 Jun 2025, 11:53 AM IST
