Launched on September 26, 2022, the Maruti Grand Vitara which draws buyers with its fuel-efficient hybrid system, clever packaging and interior quality, was the fastest in the midsize SUV segment to 300,000 sales and is the second best-selling Nexa SUV after the Fronx. Will the new Maruti Victoris, sold from the Arena network, eat into the Grand Vitara’s sales?
26 Sep 2025 | 9166 Views | By Ajit Dalvi
The Maruti Grand Vitara, launched on September 26, 2022, has turned three years old today. In the past 36 months till end-August 2025, the premium midsize SUV has clocked sales of 327,725 units.
In fact, when it raced past the 300,000 cumulative sales in early April this ...
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The Maruti Grand Vitara, launched on September 26, 2022, has turned three years old today. In the past 36 months till end-August 2025, the premium midsize SUV has clocked sales of 327,725 units.
In fact, when it raced past the 300,000 cumulative sales in early April this year, it took the title of the being the fastest midsize SUV to the 300,000 milestone in 32 months, news which Autocar Professional broke.
As SIAM wholesales data reveals, the Grand Vitara sold 51,315 units in the last seven months of FY2023, 121,169 units in FY2024 and 123,946 units, up 2% YoY, in FY2025. However, compared to FY2024, sales slowed down in FY2025 and the Grand Vitara witnessed a marginal 2% YoY increase and just 2,777 units more year on year. In the current fiscal’s first five months, sales are down 31% YoY at 31,295 units (April-August 2024: 45,484 units).
In the current fiscal (April-August 2025), the midsize SUV market is led by the segment leader Hyundai Creta (80,484 units), followed by the Toyota Hyryder (37,591 units), Thar Roxx (31,726 units estimated), Mahindra XUV700 (31,454 units), Grand Vitara (31,295 units) and the Kia Seltos (28,139 units)
In FY2025 (123,946 units), the Grand Vitara accounted for 36% of total Nexa SUV sales of 340,049 units and 17% of Maruti Suzuki's record utility vehicle dispatches of 720,186 units.
A premium product, outside and inside, the Grand Vitara entered the midsize SUV market just when the segment was beginning to boom, and has surfed the wave of demand coming its way. The highlight of the Grand Vitara is the two engine options it shares with the Toyota Hyryder (which has sold 160,634 units since its September 2022 launch). The proven 103hp, 1.5-litre K15C petrol mild-hybrid engine, which also powers many Maruti Suzuki models (Brezza, Ertiga, XL6 and the new Victoris midsize SUV), comes mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox.
There’s the Toyota-sourced 92hp, 1.5-litre, three-cylinder Atkinson cycle petrol engine paired to an electric motor that develops 79hp and 141Nm of torque. Combined, the hybrid powertrain produces 116hp and is paired to an e-CVT gearbox. Maruti claims an efficiency of 27.97kpl for this powertrain in the Grand Vitara.
Maruti Suzuki, the CNG car and SUV market leader, also has a CNG variant, powered by the proven K-series 1.5-litre, petrol engine which develops peak power of 88hp at 5500rpm and max torque of 121.5 Nm at 4200rpm in CNG mode. Offered with a five-speed manual gearbox, the Grand Vitara S-CNG delivers a claimed fuel efficiency of 26.6 km/kg. To put things into perspective, the Baleno CNG delivers 30.61km/kg. The only competition the Grand Vitara CNG has is its cousin, the Toyota Hyryder CNG, both of which are built at Toyota India’s Bidadi plant, and the recently launched Victoris, Maruti Suzuki’s second midsize SUV.
The Maruti Grand Vitara and the Toyota Hyryder are beneficiaries of the Toyota-Suzuki alliance in India.
Looks-wise, other than the front, the Grand Vitara’s side body panels, tailgate and even the rear bumper with integrated tail-lamps are identical to the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder. A chrome applique on the C-pillar, different alloy wheels and full-width LED light bar on the tailgate, though are unique to the Maruti SUV.
The interiors of the GV and the Hyryder are also similar, the sole difference being the colour schemes. Both get the same steering wheel design that’s also seen on other newer Maruti Suzuki models. The touchscreen infotainment, instrument cluster and all the switchgear are identical on both SUVs as well.
In terms of features, top-spec variants of the Grand Vitara get a panoramic sunroof, 360-degree camera, wireless charger, ambient lighting, connected car tech, ESP, hill-hold assist, tyre pressure monitoring system, and six airbags.
GRAND VITARA: KEY CONTRIBUTOR TO NEXA SUV SALES
The Grand Vitara continues to be a key contributor to the carmaker’s Nexa brand sales. If one compares its contribution to all Nexa models since its entry in FY2023, then only the Baleno hatchback (624,485 units from FY2023 to end-August 2025) and the Fronx compact SUV (363,989 units) are ahead of the Grand Vitara (377,725 units).
Nexa, Maruti Suzuki India’s premium sales channel, which was launched on July 23, 2015, has till end-August 2025 sold a total of 3.31 million passenger vehicles. On the cumulative sales front, of the Nexa portfolio, the Grand Vitara is currently the third highest contributor to overall Nexa sales after the Baleno (1.68 million units) and the Fronx (363,989 units).
In FY2025, the Grand Vitara was the second best-selling Nexa SUV after the Fronx and accounted for 36% of total Nexa SUV sales of 340,049 units and 17% of Maruti Suzuki's record UV dispatches of 720,186 units. In the current fiscal’s April-August 2025 period, a total of 31,395 units were dispatched to dealers across India, down 31% YoY (April-August 2024: 45,484 units).
In early April 2025, to rev up demand in the new fiscal and beyond, Maruti Suzuki updated the Grand Vitara with a new strong hybrid variant, more features across the board, six airbags as standard and an automatic transmission option for the AWD variants. In August, to celebrate 10 years of the premium Nexa channel, the company introduced the Grand Vitara Phantom Blaq edition which sports a new Matte Black wrap, which will be applied by 3M. It gets blacked-out 17-inch alloy wheels and every bit of chrome has been replaced by black trim pieces, save for the window surrounds and Maruti Suzuki emblems.
While the premium Grand Vitara is sold from the Nexa channel, the new Victoris is retailed from the more mainstream Maruti Arena network.
WILL THE NEW VICTORIS EAT INTO GRAND VITARA’S SALES?
With the GST price cuts coming into force from September 22 this year, the Grand Vitara is now cheaper by up to Rs 106,000, making the fuel-efficient midsize SUV an even more attractive proposition. The 19-variant model’s on-road pricing (Mumbai) starts at Rs 10.76 lakh for the base Sigma variant and goes upwards to Rs 19.57 lakh for the top-end HEV Alpha+) E-CVT variant.
The Grand Vitara though might see an in-house challenge in the form of the recently launched six-variant Maruti Victoris midsize SUV priced from Rs 10.5 lakh-19.99 lakh (ex-showroom). As compared to the Grand Vitara, which is sold from the premium Nexa channel, the Victoris is retailed from the mainstream Maruti Arena channel which makes it making it a more accessible model given the mega size and all-India reach of the Arena network.
Maruti Suzuki has carried over the Vitara's strong hybrid, mild hybrid and CNG powertrains in the Victoris. The 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder strong hybrid setup in the Victoris returns the highest ARAI-rated fuel efficiency figure of 28.56kpl, followed by CNG with 27.02km/kg. Mild hybrid versions have mileages of 19.07kpl (AT, AWD), 21.06kpl (AT), and 21.18kpl (MT). What’s more, the Victoris has a long features list, some of which are not offered even on the higher-positioned Grand Vitara.
The Maruti Grand Vitara, whose sales have slowed down in the past six months, now has additional competition and this time around it comes from its new sibling. The coming months will reveal the real-world retail sales numbers of the home-grown battle. Stay tuned in.
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