Tata, MG, Mercedes, Kia, and Mahindra have made their entry into the EV segment in India, and now the largest car manufacturing company in the country, Maruti Suzuki is also about to launch their first EV. The parent company of Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), Suzuki Motor Corporation, recently unveiled its EV vision for the global market, which largely includes the Indian market. Suzuki has six battery electric vehicles (BEV) launches planned for India by FY2030. The company has recently released a teaser image of these 6 upcoming EVs and the EV variant of Fronx is one of them. The Fronx fuel combustion variant was recently introduced at Auto Expo 2023. It was said by the company that it will be offered with 2 petrol engine options – a 1.0-liter turbo petrol and a 1.2-liter normal petrol. Out of the 6 upcoming EVs teaser images, one looks exactly like the Maruti Fronx by this we can say that the company will launch an EV variant of the Fronx in the future.
The Fronx EV will not be Maruti Suzuki’s first EV in India as this title will go to the eVX SUV EV which was showcased as a concept EV at the Auto Expo 2023. The eVX production will begin in 2024. The production-spec eVX will carry a 60kWh battery pack, and dual electric motors, and have a range of up to 550km. This was confirmed by Maruti Suzuki representatives at the Auto Expo 2023. The Fronx EV will be a low-spec and low-priced car and it will sit below the eVX. The Fronx EV will compete with EVs like the Tata Nexon Max, Mahindra XUV400, and other B2-segment electric SUVs. While the eVX will compete against ICE-powered vehicles like the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos in terms of size and C-segment SUVs like the MG ZS EV in terms of specs.
The Fronx will carry a smaller battery pack than the eVX and a similar one to the Tata Nexon EV (Prime and Max) and the recently launched Mahindra XUV400 EV. We are expecting a range of 400 to 450km and a single motor setup in Fronx. The Mahindra XUV400 and the Tata Nexon EV will be direct competitors of the Fronx EV. The Tata Nexon EV Prime carries a 30.2 kWh battery pack and it can go 312 kilometers on a single charge. Its price range is between Rs. 14.49 lakh to Rs. 17.19 lakh. The Nexon EV Max has a range of 453 kilometers and is priced between Rs. 16.49 lakh and Rs. 18.99 lakh. The recently launched Mahindra XUV400 has a range of 375 km with a 34.5 kWh battery pack and 456 km with a 39.5 kWh battery pack. Its price is Rs. 15.99 lakh and Rs. 18.99 lakh respectively.
Maruti Suzuki announced that the production-spec eVX will be their first all-electric vehicle in India at the Auto Expo 2023. In 2025, the eVX will go on sale. So, after the eVX electric SUV debuts, we can expect the Fronx EV to make its appearance between 2026 and 2030. Maruti Suzuki, meanwhile, will introduce vehicles with carbon-neutral ICE engines that can run on CNG, biogas, and gasoline blended with ethanol.
