It looks like Suzuki just confirmed the arrival of the eVitara for the Philippine market. The announcement wasn’t made in a statement, but rather, using an interesting backdrop used during an official event in India.
The event in question was the official assembly start the eVitara at Suzuki’s Hansalpur assembly plant in Gujarat, India. This assembly plant will serve as Suzuki’s global EV production hub with plans to export the eVitara to more than 100 markets including Japan.
Although the Philippines wasn’t directly mentioned, a closer look at the backdrop used during the ceremony does mention some of the countries where the eVitara is destined to go. On the upper right side, the Philippines is clearly visible (check out the photos below).
Designed around the concept of “Emotional Versatile Cruiser,” the e Vitara is Suzuki’s first global BEV which was revealed in November of last year. It rides on a dedicated battery electric platform, the Heartech-e and comes with an electric all-wheel drive system called Allgrip-e.
For global markets, the eVitara uses a highly efficient eAxle powertrain that combines the motor and inverter. It comes in three states of tune—144 horsepower (106 kW), 189 Nm; 174 horsepower (128 kW), 189 Nm; and 184 horsepower (135 kW), 300 Nm. The first two is representative of the 2WD version, while the latter is the AWD. All-wheel drive variant uses Allgrip-e does meaning it has dual electric motors with a special “Trail” mode that acts as a limited slip differential.
And as for the battery, the e Vitara either uses a 49-kWh or 61-kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery.
More than the eVitara, Suzuki needs to bring over the Grand Vitara first to fill the gap left by the Euro-made Vitara.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. We need the Grand Vitara which I've been waiting for now almost 3 years.
DeleteMade in India Grand Vitara for export markets is only available in Mild Hybrid version
DeleteIt's expensive that's why Suzuki Philippines refused to import and sell those
It should be. It’s a safe move.
ReplyDeleteHow can we charge it in Leyte without any charging stations? What we need is the Grand Vitara like in India.
ReplyDeleteWhy buy it if you don't have charging stations in Leyte? You can canrge at home just make sure to plan your route properly. Or better buy an ICE or hybrid.
DeleteI wonder what this means for the Toyota Urban Cruiser EV since it's just a Toyota mask on this Suzuki EV.
ReplyDeleteHighly unlikely that Toyota PH will be selling any rebadged Suzukis anytime soon.
DeleteAll Japs cars will have a hard time competing against Chinese brands. I'm sure they're feeling the pressure. Sales that have gone to them before aren't theirs now
ReplyDeleteI find it amusing na some people think that Chinese brands are only competing against other Chinese brands. As if only a specific type of person would buy a Chinese car at hindi yung normal Filipino.
DeleteCompetently run companies will position themselves well to counter this but there still seems to be a lot of denial in some companies based on how slow they are reacting to changing market dynamics.