Maruti Suzuki India is going full throttle with the expansion of its model lineup. As a part of this plan, the company has launched several new vehicles and is on its way to launch a few more. After that, the company is going to launch a new MPV named Maruti Suzuki Engage. The new car will be sold through Nexa outlets in India and has been developed in partnership with the Indian automaker along with Toyota. It is important to note that this model will be based on the Toyota Innova Highcross, which is already on sale in India.
Prior to the Maruti Suzuki Engage, the partnership between the two companies produced models such as the Baleno, Glanza, Grand Vitara and the Urban Cruiser Header. However, this is the first time that the partnership will produce an MPV. The car is expected to have seven and eight seater configurations.
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To make the car a unique proposition, the Maruti Suzuki Engage will get a few exterior changes as compared to the Toyota Innova Highcross. The digital render in the picture shows the same. Firstly, the car gets a new grille with more black elements in the upward facing nose section. Bringing in the Maruti Suzuki elements, a strong chrome bar connects the modern LED headlamps, and the Suzuki emblem is set in the middle of the bar. The front bumper, alloy wheels, side profile and other exterior components of the popular hybrid MPV still remain the same.
The TNGA-C platform, like the Hycross, will underpin the Maruti Suzuki Engage. No changes are expected on the front-wheel drive MPV as well. Expectations are that the car will have a feature list similar to the SUVs from the Japanese automaker.
Also, adding to the list of similarities between the Highcross and the Engage, the car is expected to feature a hybrid engine. The MPV can get 2.0L NA petrol and 2.0L Strong Hybrid petrol engine options. The model is expected to deliver decent mileage thanks to the hybrid system.