Beware of BYD Atto 3! Suzuki e Vitara 2025 finally announced as a potentially affordable rival to the Japanese brand MG ZS EV – Automotive News

Suzuki has finally taken the wraps off its first battery electric car, the e Vitara.

The e Vitara is the production version of the eVX concept car, which was first shown in Japan in 2023 and is built on a completely new platform for the brand.

e Vitara will be manufactured in India for the global market. It is a compact SUV that can compete with the BYD Atto 3 and MG ZS EV. At 4275mm long, 1800mm wide and 1635mm high, the e Vitara is also slightly larger than the current combustion Vitara sold in Australia.

In Europe, the e Vitara will be launched in three versions: a standard range version with a 49 kWh battery, an extended range version with a 61 kWh battery with front-wheel drive and an all-wheel drive version with a 61 kWh battery. The range for either variant has not yet been revealed, but the estimated range during the concept development phase was stated at 550 km for the version with a long-range battery.

The base front-wheel drive version has a 106kW/189Nm electric motor, while the heavier range-extended version increases power to 128kW with the same torque. The all-wheel drive version (dubbed AllGrip-e) increases power to 135kW/300Nm and includes a ‘Trail’ drive mode which engages a limited-slip differential function, directing torque to the opposite wheel where slip occurs.

The brand has confirmed that both battery sizes will use the more affordable and less energy-intensive lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, as opposed to the nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) chemistry used in most Japanese-designed electric vehicles.

Production of the e Vitara will begin in the second quarter of 2025 based in India, with first deliveries expected in Europe, India and Japan around mid-year.

Suzuki Australia has yet to confirm if or when the e Vitara will arrive here, although it’s worth noting that the brand’s local arm has recently been evaluating rival EV offerings such as the Kia Niro and BYD Atto 3 at its Altona plant in Victoria. 18 months.

The inbuilt India e Vitara is another part of Suzuki’s plan to strengthen its dominance and produce more global models in the Indian market in the future. The Fronx crossover will be the first of the new generation Suzuki to hit Australian shores in this new production push, due sometime in 2025.

It’s likely the Fronx will adopt one of two mild-hybrid engines (either a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated unit or a three-cylinder turbo) as new Australian Vehicle Efficiency Standards (NVES) laws loom.

The same laws will almost certainly force the brand to introduce the e Vitara to reduce emissions, having so far relied heavily on older engine technology for its relatively lightweight car range.

Suzuki’s beloved but outdated range of cars is in the process of a major overhaul, with the affordable Baleno recently discontinued and the Ignis city car facing the same fate in 2025, to be replaced by the Fronx. The new Swift has moved to a mild-hybrid setup, and a similar range overhaul is expected for the combustion-powered Vitara soon.

The pressure was on Suzuki for some time in Australia as new low-cost players from China have become popular options in a space once dominated by the Japanese marque.

The brand has also frequently hinted at the idea of ​​trying to tap into the domestic Japanese market with a catalog of kei city cars to offer even cheaper options to the Australian market. Time will tell if it can deliver any examples, given the increasingly stringent requirements of not only NVES, but also Australian Design Regulations (ADR) and ANCAP.