Maruti eVX, Toyota Urban SUV Launch Timeline Revealed!

When will Maruti Suzuki launch its first electric car? We finally have an answer! It is coming in early November, way before the new Maruti Dzire compact sedan comes out.

And no, it won’t be an electric variant of the Wagon R, the humorously-crowned national taxi vehicle of India. 

Instead, Maruti is going straight for the Tata Nexon EV and Tata Curvv EV with an electric SUV. The concept, which was shown at the Bharat Mobiilty Global Expo 2024 as the eVX concept, will be modified to make it road-legal. 

Based on the industry rumours though, it seems that Maruti will address some key concerns with electric SUVs in general, the most prominent one being related to its range. 

But that’s not where the good news ends. Toyota, which has been working in close partnership with Suzuki for the last few years, will spawn its take on the eVX concept. It will be called the Urban SUV and could be well suited for off-roading! 

Have we got your pulse racing? Stick around as we explore some key details. 

First up, the Maruti eVX SUV

The Maruti eVX Concept was showcased earlier in 2024 as the brand’s first attempt at an electric vehicle. Although the concept vehicle stole attention with its chunky tyres and rugged crash bumpers, we expect the production version, which was spotted all camoflagued, to dial down on the ‘ruggedness’. Expect the eVX to come with the same kind of wheels and cladding as the Grand Vitara.

In fact, Maruti could keep the design slightly aggressive to woo young buyers away from the Tata Motors stable. The eVX is based on the 27PL Skateboard platform jointly developed by Suzuki, Toyota and Daihatsu as a born-electric architecture. The eVX Concept was said to come with 40 kWh and 60 kWh battery packs, with the latter promising over 550 km of range!

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Maruti eVX production version reveal date

The production version of the Maruti eVX Concept is likely to get a new name badge for its global unveiling in Milan on 4 November 2024. Post the global reveal, Maruti Suzuki will showcase the vehicle for the Indian masses at the upcoming Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025, which will be hosted in New Delhi from 17 January to 22 January 2024.

The production-spec eVX will be manufactured in Suzuki's Gujarat manufacturing plant from March 2025, with an Indian release expected soon after. The EV SUV is expected to compete with the Tata Motors Curvv EV and Tata Motors Nexon EV upon launch. Maruti Suzuki will also export the eVX SUV to global markets. 

Toyota Urban SUV confirms AWD

Meanwhile, Toyota confirmed that its derivative of the Maruti eVX SUV, the Toyota Urban SUV, will be unveiled in 2025 as an alternative to the Maruti Suzuki eVX.

The Urban SUV concept was demonstrated to the global market last year in Brussels. As is the norm with Suzuki-rebadged Toyota vehicles, the Urban SUV EV derives the core exterior design from the eVX Concept, including the flared wheel arches and aggressive cladding. The front and rear fascia get a familiar Toyota makeover inspired by bZ series SUVs. While we don’t get to see the interiors, we doubt whether it will be any different from the eVX’s interior layout. 

While Toyota maintains silence over the range and performance, it has confirmed the presence of an All-Wheel Drive system. This hints at a dual-motor setup distributing power to both axles. The AWD mode could give the Urban SUV a great advantage over its rivals like Nexon EV and Curvv EV, which lack an AWD setup. 

The Urban SUV will be manufactured in Suzuki's manufacturing plant in Gujarat, starting in March 2025, alongside the production-spec eVX.

Given that the Toyota derivative gets AWD, we expect Maruti Suzuki to also offer the same on the eVX’s top-end variants. 

Toyota Urban SUV expected release date

The Toyota Urban SUV is expected to be released in mid-2025 in India, most likely on the heels of the Maruti eVX launch.

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