Maruti Suzuki has been testing the Solio on Indian roads for many months now. A couple of years ago, the car maker also showcased the WagonR R3, a 7 seat, 3 row version of the popular hatchback in Indonesia. Back then, Maruti Suzuki confirmed that a 7 seat WagonR will eventually be launched in India.
Team-BHP‘s sources say that the 7 seat WagonR will be launched here in 2018 itself. We expect it to be the 7 seat version of the Solio, which is a larger version of the WagonR sold in the Japanese domestic market. In India, the 7 seat WagonR will compete with the Datsun Go+.
The Solio is likely to be brought in as the 7 seat WagonR for the Indian market. The very strong WagonR brand means that Maruti could use the WagonR nameplate rather than Solio to brand the new car. In Japan, the Solio is sold with a 1.2 liter petrol-hybrid engine with 90 Bhp and 118 Nm on tap.
For the Indian market, Maruti will have the option of choosing between the 1 liter-3 cylinder K-Series petrol engine (67 Bhp-90 Nm), which is already offered on the WagonR sold here, or the 1.2 liter-4 cylinder K-Series petrol engine (82 Bhp-114 NM), which is offered on the likes of the Ignis, Swift and Baleno. Both ways, Maruti can’t go wrong.
5 speed manual and AMT options are likely to be on offer, and Maruti could sell the 7 seat car as a mini-MPV to families who find the Eeco too ‘cabbie’. Apart from petrol, CNG and LPG fuel modes are likely to be offered in specific markets, just like what Maruti does with the regular, 5 seat WagonR.
The 7 seat model could go into production from September 2018, and is said to be getting ready for a November launch. In the coming months, expect more details of the new 7 seat car to be revealed. For now, get ready for yet another Maruti hatchback that could be a big blockbuster.