Just for this day We waited. The 2023 Auto Expo took place in the month of January at the Expo Mart in Noida with a chill of almost 8 degrees. However, many companies did not set up shop in this expo. Mahindra, Skoda, Volkswagen, Citroen, Force, Jeep, Land Rover, Audi, BMW, Renault, Nissan are missing from this expo. In bikes, companies like Hero Moto Corp, Bajaj, TVS have also escaped.
However, our Mov team did not fail to cover 360 degrees during the sweltering Auto Expo… 4 days in the dark. Let’s go to the Expo to buy!
Maruti steps into electric! The Jimny shines like a rival to the #eVX tar!
Maruti kicked off the Auto Expo at the Expo Mart in Noida’s morning snow. Maruti’s pavilion was crowded from 8 o’clock. Mainly, people were expecting the Jimny. But Maruti launched a different electric car on day one. Let’s see what it is. Just the other day, Maruti Suzuki launched the Jimny, Belino’s older brother Franks.
The eVX SUV is electric
Any car from Maruti is celebrated. That being the case, it was the answer to many people’s question, ‘Why Maruti hasn’t entered the electric car market?’ Yes, Maruti created a sensation by unveiling its first electric car early in the morning. Its name is eVX.
Maruti wants to position it in the midsize SUV segment. Maruti Suzuki has prepared a dedicated electric platform for this. It has a partnership with Toyota to support this. It is ready on that platform. Henceforth EVs from Maruti will be ready for this. It was revealed as a concept model. Its code name is YV8. A happy thing is that it is ready at the factory in Gujarat. This means that this product is also for the international market, which is special for us!
Unlike the design of Maruti’s current ICE engine cars, the eVX gets ready in a completely new design language. The flat nose, squared-off tall bonnet, V-shaped headlamps, LED DRLs for the uni, and planked-out grille are definitely a futuristic design.
Its overhangs are very small. But the ground clearance is high. The wheel arches were pretty chunky. Rough claddings running on the front, rear and sides make this SUV look bulky. A roof spoiler at the rear makes it a coupé SUV. A closer look at its alloy wheels reveals one thing. It has the aero-style wheel design of Tesla models. But, if all these are present in this concept, it will be good if it is in production too!
Let’s see about its powertrains. Maruti has equipped the eVX with a 60kWh battery pack. It claims a single charge range of 650 km. ‘Hello, is this also for the concept; Maruti has already answered our doubt that it will come in production model. It is said that it will almost come in the production model. Bye. In other words, Maruti has confirmed that the production model will have a range of almost 500 km.
Also, the eVX will come with a smaller battery pack option for budget-conscious buyers. It may have a 48kWh battery pack. It is also reported to have a range of around 400 km. Maruti’s parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation, has promised Maruti to invest around $100 billion in battery manufacturing…that is, the electric vehicle market.
If the Creta electric SUV comes from Hyundai, this eVX will be a perfect match. Maruti forays into eVX, probably global and our Indian market by 2025! #eVX
Jimny that shines like tar!
Damn! What a celebration at Maruti’s pavilion when the Jimny was unveiled! People are done celebrating. Summava Binne… After more than 3 years, the Jimny, which has been winking at ‘Inda Anda’, came off the stage in bright green and rugged grey.
Okay! Check out the short review of the Jimny!
The Jimny is new to India. But, globally 3 door Jimny is very popular. One of Maruti’s off-roaders is the Chak Podu. Maruti has brought its 5-door version to India. It comes as a sub 4 meter SUV. Global 3-door Jimny has been released with increased wheelbase, increased doors and redesigned rear quarter area. So this Namur 5 door Jimny looks similar to the 3 door Jimny. But to me looking at the front side of its 5-slot grill, it looked like an American Hummer. (Tell anyone who thinks Hummer!) Round headlights, same round indicators… same round fog lights below… ugh… classic look.
As it is an off-roader, Maruti has made an off-road splash in the pavilion itself. They placed some pebbles and small rocks on it to display the Jimny. Plastic arches around the wheels are OK! Plastic claddings were also provided on the front side of the car. But, its 15 wheels look small for this car. Its section was 195/80.
Being a sub-4 meter SUV, its length is 3,985 mm; Width 1,645 mm; The height is high – 1,720 mm. But standing next to it, I felt like I wanted a little more of its majesty. Its wheelbase has been increased by 340 mm from the global 3-door version, and our local 5-door. The rear side door fits well with its boxy styling. That is, the door does not go up as if it were stuck outside; Side Opening Door… must be pulled back. The spare wheel was mounted on the door itself. There is no pull type handle bar for the doors. It was old style. It does not have a sunroof. The roof of the car is sporty in black shade as a contrast.
This class area can be used for fun parties; Some adventure parties may not like it. But, good thick pillars support this. Tail lamps are mounted on the rear bumper itself.
As far as the interior is concerned – the design of the model sold abroad is the most popular. That’s not to say minimalistic design; It cannot be said that it is outdated. The dashboard is a little rugged and classic in color with an all black theme, without compromising on good ergonomics. It featured a raised 9-inch touchscreen on the center console.
The steering wheel, round dials, HVAC controls, etc. look like they have been taken from the Swift! At the front, the co-driver was given a handle on the dashboard. Offroader ache!
Its square analog console was a different model. Really liked the speedo and tachometers in analog in round shape. In the middle is the MID screen. Being an off-road car, they have given more space for storage. Power window buttons were mounted on the center console. Also had toggle switches and 4 wheel gear lever. It is a 4 meter model. There was a bench seat for the second row in the middle.
It had the SmartPlay Pro Plus infotainment system. It also has wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Arcamis surround system etc. Safety features on the Jimny include 6 airbags, hill hold assist with ESP, hill descent control, rearview camera and ABS with EBD.
Maruti is pitching it as a full-fledged off-roader as it takes on the likes of the Mahindra Thar and Force Gurkha. Maruti has incorporated the 4-wheel drive all-wheel grip technology found in the Grand Vitara. There are also 2WD-High, 4WD-High and 4WD-Low options for the low range gearbox. On a rugged ladder frame chassis, the Jimny comes with a 3-link rigid axle suspension setup and an electronic traction control system. This feature applies braking to the wheels that slip while off-road and distributes the torque to the other wheels. Its approach – breakover – departure angles – 36 – 24 – 50 degrees respectively, the Jimny mixes. Its ground clearance is 210 mm.
As far as the engine is concerned – the Jimny K15B series comes with the old engine while other Maruti cars have switched to the K15C series engines. This engine is mated to either a 4-speed torque converter or a 5-speed manual gearbox option. The petrol engine produces 105bhp and 134Nm of torque. As a small car, under 1.5 liters – this Jimny comes under the small car tax exemption.
That is why Maruti has been able to position its price at around 12 lakhs ex-showroom. For now, if you want to buy an off-roader at a low price, you can go to a Maruti showroom.
Fronx
No one expected this at Maruti’s pavilion. Maruti launched an SUV called Fronx. Franks mixed in the coupe SUV design to look. Yes, how about taking the Belino and sculpting it into an SUV… that’s Franks.
For the first time, the Nexa is going to get an SUV coupe. It is based on the Belino and is built on the same Heartect Monocoque platform. Some of the body panels, beyond the waist line, the headlight and the raised bonnet are similar to the Grand Vitara. They have given 17 inch alloy wheels. Being an SUV, faux skid plates occupied the front/rear bumpers. Chrome works too! Its length/width/height dimensions are – 3,995 / 1,756 / 1,550 mm.
Like the dimensions, the interior – dashboard, seating, equipment list – is all the same as the Belino. The only difference is the painting and the shades.
Well, not just Maruti’s first coupe SUV; The Franks was also the first SUV with a booster jet turbo engine. This 1.0-litre booster jet engine produces 100bhp of power and 147.6Nm of torque. Remember when this engine was in the RS variant of the old Belino…that’s the comeback by Franks. It has a 5-speed manual or AMT gearbox. Like the Jimny and Grand Vitara, it doesn’t have a 4-wheel drive model with all-wheel grip technology.
As Maruti has positioned it in the premium compact SUV segment, it will be available on the Nexa. We have been waiting for this day. The 2023 Auto Expo took place in the month of January at the Expo Mart in Noida with a chill of almost 8 degrees. However, many companies did not set up shop in this expo. Mahindra, Skoda, Volkswagen, Citroen, Force, Jeep, Land Rover, Audi, BMW, Renault, Nissan are missing from this expo. In bikes, companies like Hero Moto Corp, Bajaj, TVS have also escaped.
However, our Mov team did not fail to cover 360 degrees during the sweltering Auto Expo… 4 days in the dark. Let’s go to Wanga Expo! Auto Expo Coverage: Wales, Tamil
Pictures: K. Rajasekaran, J. T. Thulasidaran