Maruti Invicto to be hybrid only

Maruti Suzuki on Monday officially opened bookings for its upcoming Invicto MPV for Rs 25,000, and its launch is scheduled for July 5. The Invicto is a badge-engineered sibling of the Toyota Innova Hycross, and while the latter gets two powertrain options, our sources have confirmed that Maruti will only be offering the 2.0-litre petrol-hybrid powertrain with the Invicto. 

The company is currently only accepting bookings for the petrol-hybrid powertrain in a single fully-loaded trim, which means the MPV will miss out on the 172hp, 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine option.

1. No naturally aspirated petrol engine for Maruti Invicto
2. Will be the first Maruti to be sold as automatic-only

Maruti Invicto hybrid powertrain details

With the Invicto, Maruti seems to be going the full-hybrid route. This powertrain – a 2.0-litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine coupled with an electric motor – comes mated to an e-CVT gearbox, and being a petrol-hybrid, there will not be a manual gearbox on offer either, thus making it the first Maruti product to be sold as automatic-only.

At the last earnings call, Maruti Suzuki chairman RC Bhargava hinted at only sourcing the hybrid powertrain from Toyota. “It's a strong hybrid, three-row, top-of-the-line kind of vehicle in terms of price," Bhargava had said. "I don't think the volume will be very large, but it's a path-breaking vehicle in a sense because of its carbon-friendly hybrid tech.”

Maruti could use the efficient but expensive hybrid tech as a justification for going premium with the Invicto. Moreover, as it will be retailed through the Nexa chain, a fully loaded, top-of-the-line variant of the Invicto MPV fits the bill better in this price segment. The Invicto could also be Maruti's way of hinting at more premium vehicles to come, such as the three-row Grand Vitara, which is not what customers typically associate with the brand.  

Shashank Srivastava, executive director at Maruti Suzuki, too, in a recent media interaction, reiterated that the Invicto will be priced north of Rs 20 lakh, again suggesting a premium positioning with just the strong-hybrid powertrain.

For reference, the Innova Hycross petrol is priced between Rs 18.55 lakh-19.45 lakh, ex-showroom, and Maruti, too, could have had the opportunity to price the Invicto under Rs 20 lakh with the non-hybrid engine, at least for some trims.

Maruti Suzuki Invicto rivals, positioning

The Invicto will be produced at Toyota’s Bidadi plant alongside the Hycross, just like how Toyota produces the Grand Vitara and Hyryder simultaneously. With Kia having discontinued the Carnival MPV, upon launch, the Invicto’s only rival in the market will be its own sibling, the Hycross. And while there's no word on the pricing yet, for reference, prices for the Hycross hybrid range between Rs 25.03 lakh-29.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai).

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