“Badge engineering” is a term that’s used for a product that is made by one company and re-badged and sold by another company as a different product with little to no structural changes. The Maruti Suzuki Invicto hybrid MUV (multi-utility vehicle) is one such – it is Suzuki’s version of Toyota’s premium people-mover, the Toyota Innova Hycross and will be sold by Maruti’s Nexa showrooms across the country. The Invicto, which is Maruti’s version of the Innova Hycross, is the eighth Nexa product from the company and has been launched at prices starting at Rs 24.79 lakh, ex-showroom.
The Maruti Suzuki Invicto is a seven-seat premium MUV, which comes with a hybrid (petrol-electric) powertrain, with a claimed average mileage or fuel efficiency of 23.24 kmpl. With fuel-efficiency being one of Maruti Suzuki’s USPs across its product range, this MUV fits well with its unique selling proposition.
The Maruti Suzuki Invicto is mechanically identical to the Toyota Innova Hycross and comes with a 2-litre petrol engine (1987 cc), mated to an electric motor and eCVT drivetrain with a combined power output of 184 bhp and 188 Nm of torque. The Invicto will be made at Toyota’s factory in Bidadi, near Bengaluru in Karnataka.Â
To differentiate the Invicto from the Innova Hycross, minor cosmetic changes have been carried out such as a different grille, bumper profile and lamp clusters, and of course, the Suzuki badging.
Maruti Suzuki Invicto features
In terms of features, the Maruti Suzuki Invicto will be the brand’s most premium offering, including a host of comfort features such as dual-zone climate control, powered driver’s seat, panoramic sunroof and 10-inch infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Maruti Suzuki Invicto specifications
The Invicto is Maruti Suzuki’s largest product till date in terms of size. It measures 4,755 mm in length, 1,845 mm in width and 1,790 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,850 mm. It’s also the brands heaviest vehicle, tipping the scales at over 1.9 tons in kerb weight. It has a fuel tank capacity of 52 litres for petrol and a Ni-MH 168-cell battery for the hybrid system. It rides on 18-inch wheels with 255/50 R18 tyres.
The Toyota-Suzuki partnership
Toyota and Suzuki have a global partnership for the mutual supply of vehicles to each other, given their respective strengths of hybrid-electric powertrains and leadership in compact vehicles. In fact, so far, Toyota has been selling re-badged (or badge-engineered) Maruti Suzuki products in India. The Maruti Suzuki Baleno hatchback has been sold as the Toyota Glanza and the Maruti Suzuki Brezza as the Toyota Urban Cruiser. These vehicles just had minor cosmetic changes and were made by Maruti and supplied to Toyota.
Where the offerings get a little more differentiated is with the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder. While the body shell is made by Maruti Suzuki, the engine and drivetrain in the hybrid versions of the Grand Vitara and Hyryder is made by Toyota. In the non-hybrid version, the engine is supplied by Maruti.
The Maruti Suzuki Invicto is the first fully Toyota-made product that will be rebadged and sold by Maruti Suzuki, while so far it has been Maruti that had been building the vehicles and supplying it to Toyota. This also gives Maruti a presence in the premium MUV segment above Rs 20 lakh, making it it’s most expensive product till date in India (even more than the Suzuki Kizashi that was once its most premium offering a decade ago).
Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Invicto vs Toyota Innova Hycross comparison: What to expect?
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