Maruti Suzuki may soon launch e Vitara, tie-up with ITIs for training of EVs

The country’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki’s first electric car e Vitara may be launched soon. It was displayed at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo held earlier this year. The company is creating a strong ecosystem for potential customers of this EV. Maruti Suzuki has started a training program related to high-voltage systems of electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles.

For this training program, the company has tied up with about 130 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in 24 states and union territories. Maruti Suzuki said that more than 4,100 trained students in the first batch of this training program will be ready to join the automobile industry in the next few months. Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer (Corporate Affairs), Maruti Suzuki, said, “A major obstacle in the sale of electric vehicles is the lack of after-sales support. About 90 percent of EV sales in the country take place in about 100 cities. We will open more than 1,500 workshops providing service support for EVs in about 1,000 cities.”

e Vitara will compete with Hyundai’s Creta Electric, Tata Motors’ Curvv EV, MG Motor’s ZS EV and Mahindra & Mahindra’s BE6. The range of this electric SUV can be around 500 kilometers on a single charge. e Vitara can get two battery pack options of 49 kWh and 61 kWh. Its 49 kWh battery variant can generate maximum power of 142 bhp and peak torque of 189 Nm. The 61 kWh battery variant of the e Vitara will produce 172 bhp of power and 189 Nm of peak torque.

This electric SUV has dual-tone interiors with squared-off elements on the dashboard. It has dual integrated screens, which act as infotainment system and digital driver’s display. Maruti Suzuki plans to add six EV models to its portfolio in the coming years. The e Vitara will be manufactured on the HEARTECT-e platform specially designed for battery-powered electric vehicles. It has two separate electric axles at the front and rear.