The Maruti Suzuki Victoris has completed its first year in the Indian market, recording sales of nearly 1.5 lakh units. The model lineup is currently available within the price range of Rs 10.5 lakh – Rs 19.99 lakh (ex-showroom). Recently, a heavily camouflaged test mule of the Maruti Victoris was spied testing, fuelling rumours about a new powertrain. While some media reports suggest it could be a turbo petrol engine or a flex fuel powertrain, the possibility of an full-electric powertrain cannot be ruled out.
If the Maruti Victoris EV is on the launch radar, the SUV might share its powertrain with the e Vitara. The electric SUV is available with two battery pack options – 49kWh and 61kWh – delivering an ARAI-certified range of up to 543km on single charge. Both battery pack options are paired with a front-wheel drive (FWD) system.
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The Maruti Victoris EV could be offered exclusively with a larger 61kWh battery pack option. Similar to the eVitara, Maruti might also introduce the subscription and BaaS (Battery-as-a-Service) schemes for the electric SUV. Once launched, the Victoris EV will rival the Hyundai Creta Electric, Mahindra BE 6, MG ZS EV, Tata Curvv EV and Vinfast VF6.
The Victoris SUV lineup is currently available with three powertrain options – petrol, strong hybrid and CNG. The petrol and CNG version use a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine. The petrol version delivers power worth 103bhp and 139Nm of torque, while the CNG variant offers 88bhp and 122Nm. The petrol variants are available with 5-speed manual and 6-speed automatic gearbox option.
The automatic version is offered exclusively with an all-wheel drive (AWD) configuration, while the CNG variants get a 5-speed manual gearbox only. The strong hybrid variant features a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated Atkinson cycle petrol engine, paired with an electric motor and a 0.76kWh battery pack. The electric motor generates 80bhp and 11Nm of torque, while the combined output stands at 116bhp.
Transmission duties are handled by an e-CVT gearbox. Maruti Suzuki claims that the Victoris petrol manual, petrol automatic and petrol AWD offer fuel efficiency of 21.18kmpl, 21.06kmpl and 19.07kmpl, respectively. The strong hybrid version offers a claimed mileage of 28.65kmpl, while the CNG variant promises 27.02km/kg.
Disclaimer: This is an opinion piece and not an official news report.