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New Delhi: Sales of the Maruti Ertiga show at how strong the Indian MPV market has been. It has been the best-selling MPV in the country for six financial years in a row, and the is presently staring at the seventh. Plus, the whole luxury premium MPVs are gaining traction for the comfort, convenience and high-end features as well. The segment has grown by almost 70 per cent in the past few years.
It will be expanding by the looks of it, and car companies are getting returns on capitalising on the trends. The likes of Kia Carnival and MG M9 are having many takers with their lounge-like cabins, along with Toyota Vellfire, still setting segment standards.
To break into the shift, Maruti Suzuki are preparing a premium compact MPV inspired by the Solio that is sold in Japan and Hong Kong. According to reports by Autocar India, the MPV is codenamed ‘YVF’, the new model is going to make its market debut in 2028-29 and will broaden Maruti’s MPV lineup, which already has Ertiga and XL6.
The Suzuki Solio have been in the Indian corridors for a while, having been showcased in the Future Mobility Show in 2019, and was even spotted being tested on Indian roads. Of course, back in the day, the car didn’t come on the road, but the market has shifted in terms of the favouring aspect of it.
At present, the sub-4-metre MPV segment is dominated by the Renault Triber, and it will soon be joined by the Nissan-branded sibling, the recently unveiled Gravite. Both offer three rows and are seven-seaters. While Maruti Suzuki haven’t given any official measurements, it shouldn’t be much different from the one sold in Japan.
In the Japanese version, it measures 3,810mm in length, 1,645mm in width and 1,745mm in height, and riding on a 2,480mm wheelbase. All of this is expected to make it more compact than its rivals sold in India. Unlike the Triber and Gravite, the Solio is going to come as a five-seat configuration, a format that could be better suited to overseas markets where flexibility and compact dimensions take precedence.
Of course, the YVF’s biggest flex will be the powered sliding back doors, a first for Maruti in the segment. It should be an amazing chauffeur-driven experience. As of now, it is available in Vellfire and M9, both premium MPVs.
The YVF is also likely to be the first MPV that comes with hybrid technology. At present, the details of the Indian-spec model are under wraps, and the Solio sold overseas comes with Suzuki’s Z12E 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol hybrid, mated with a CVT that, on WLTC test cycle, delivers 22 kpl.
An all-wheel-drive version is available in Japan, though that might not come to the country due to the limited demand for the setup in the segment. The engine, though, powers both Swift and Dzire, and the hybrid compatibility will open avenues for Maruti to multiply their hybrid lineup.
Manufacturing will be based in India, with exports forming an important aspect of the project. In their first complete year of operation, Maruti Suzuki is projected to produce more than 100,000 units, which includes around 12,000 hybrid variants, while close to 30,000 vehicles are earmarked for international markets.
