India’s biggest car company, Maruti Suzuki, has said they will launch a brand-new SUV in this financial year (FY26). This news came during a meeting about their business results on April 25, 2025. It has made car fans very interested, especially because the company clearly said this new car is not the much-awaited electric Vitara.
This new SUV will be Maruti Suzuki’s fifth SUV they sell right now, along with the Fronx, Brezza, Jimny, and Grand Vitara. This plan shows the company wants to be stronger in the fast-growing Indian SUV market, where over half of all cars sold are now SUVs.
While Maruti Suzuki Chairman R C Bhargava didn’t give many details about the new car, some hints and things happening suggest what it might be.
Could It Be a Seven-Seat Grand Vitara?
The most talked-about idea is a Grand Vitara with seven seats. Test cars that look like a longer, three-row SUV similar to the current Grand Vitara have been seen on Indian roads many times.
Here’s what we know so far about this possible seven-seat Grand Vitara:
- Base: It will probably use the same Heartect platform as the five-seat Grand Vitara.
- Look: Spy photos show a slightly changed front and a clearly longer back to fit the third row. The small window at the back also looks bigger. The connected taillights might look like the ones on the upcoming electric Vitara.
- Inside: We don’t know much, but it’s expected to have a new dashboard with a screen that stands up. It might also have more features than the five-seat version, maybe including ADAS (advanced driving safety systems).
- Engine: The seven-seat Grand Vitara will likely use the same 1.5L petrol engines with mild and strong hybrid technology that are in the five-seat version now.
- Price: The current Grand Vitara costs between ₹11.42 lakh and ₹20.68 lakh. So, the seven-seat version is expected to cost around ₹3-4 lakh more, possibly between ₹15 lakh and ₹25 lakh. This would make it compete with cars like the Mahindra XUV700, Hyundai Alcazar, and Tata Safari.
- Making: This new car will likely be made at Maruti Suzuki’s factory in Kharkhoda.
Other Possible Cars
While the seven-seat Grand Vitara seems most likely, we can’t completely rule out other options:
- A New Five-Seat SUV: Maruti Suzuki might be making a completely new five-seat SUV to become even stronger in this competitive part of the market. This car could be sold through their Arena showrooms, unlike the electric Vitara and maybe the seven-seat Grand Vitara, which are expected to be sold through the Nexa showrooms.
- The “Hustler” Small SUV: There have been reports about a small SUV, possibly called “Hustler,” that has been seen being tested in India. This car, which looks like a Japanese “Kei car” with a boxy shape, could be a new, cheaper SUV to compete with the Tata Punch and Hyundai Exter. However, we don’t know much about its engine and features yet.
Electric Vitara Launch Confirmed
It’s important to remember that even though this new SUV isn’t the electric Vitara, Maruti Suzuki has said that their first electric car will be launched in India before the end of September 2025. The electric Vitara, which was shown at the Bharat Mobility Expo 2025, will have battery options of 49kWh and 61kWh, with a claimed driving range of over 500km on a single charge.
Why This Is Important
Launching another SUV in FY26 shows Maruti Suzuki’s big plan to get a bigger share of the growing SUV market in India. With the electric Vitara for the electric car market and this new SUV aimed at either the three-row or the competitive five-seat market, Maruti Suzuki clearly wants to offer a wide range of SUV choices to Indian buyers.
As we wait for more news from Maruti Suzuki, people are very excited about this new SUV, which promises to be another interesting car in India.