Made in India Suzuki Grand Vitara to be sold in South Africa, gets AWD with automatic gearbox

After the global debut of its flagship Grand Vitara in India, Suzuki has now showcased the SUV in South Africa, one of the first export markets for the made-in-India model. The new Grand Vitara will replace the Vitara SUV in South Africa and while the outgoing model was a standalone Suzuki product sourced from its Hungry plant, the new Grand Vitara has been developed jointly with Toyota and is being built at its plant in India for domestic as well as export markets. 

• Grand Vitara replaces Vitara SUV in South Africa
• Will be exported from India, built by Toyota
• Expected with two 1.5-litre engine options 
• Gets AllGrip AWD with automatic gearbox as well 

Suzuki Grand Vitara for South Africa: engine and powertrain

The Grand Vitara SUV for the South African market will be more or less identical to the one sold in India. When it goes on sale next year, it will get the 103hp, 117Nm, 1.5-litre mild-hybrid engine. This engine will be paired either to a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters. What’s unique for the Grand Vitara in South Africa is that the one sold there gets Suzuki’s Allgrip AWD even on the automatic-gearbox-equipped variant, which is not the case for the model sold in India.

The SUV will also come with a strong-hybrid powertrain that produces a combined 115hp and is paired to an eCVT gearbox, similar to the one sold in our market. 

Suzuki Grand Vitara for South Africa: features on offer

In terms of equipment, the South Africa-spec Grand Vitara is expected to have identical features as the one that will go on sale in India. These include the LED projector headlights, cruise control, keyless entry, an engine start/stop button, automatic climate control, and six airbags. Other feature highlights on the inside include the 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 360-degree camera and wireless charging. As far as the interior goes, while both SUVs look identical, there will be some trim and interior shade differences depending on variant.

Other models that Maruti exports to South Africa

The upcoming Grand Vitara SUV will join the vast entire line-up of made-in-India cars and SUVs sold by Suzuki in the South African market. Vehicles such as the S-Presso, some variants of the Swift, Baleno (equipped with a 1.5-litre petrol), Dzire, Vitara Brezza, Ertiga and Ciaz are supplied from Maruti Suzuki plants in India.

Additionally, made-in-India Toyota vehicles from Maruti Suzuki facilities are also sold in South Africa. These include the Baleno-based Starlet, the Ertiga-based Rumion and Vitara-Brezza-based Urban Cruiser SUV. While not officially announced yet, we expect the Toyota Hyryder SUV, which is slated to go on sale in India this week, to also be sold in the South African market.

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