Is Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza AMT launch anytime soon?

Maruti Suzuki has not looked back ever since it launched the compact SUV Vitara Brezza in India in March 2016.

The country's largest carmaker sold a record number of compact SUVs and dethroned the then segment leader, Ford EcoSport.

While Vitara Brezza still continues to dominate the segment in which Maruti Suzuki has not been seen for a quite some time, questions abound on the launch of its petrol model and an AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) version. Maruti Suzuki remains coy on the making of the other variants of Vitara Brezza. Even then, rumors suggest they could drive into the market soon.

The latest we hear is that there could be a delay in the launch of the AMT version of the Vitara Brezza. While the reasons for the delay have not been specified, rumors point to production constraints as there is an overwhelming demand for other models of Maruti Suzuki. A report of MotorOctane notes that the Vitara Brezza AMT could now come in early 2019.

The Vitara Brezza compact SUV is currently offered in only diesel engine options. A recent report indicated that the petrol version of the SUV may come in mid-2018. Vitara Brezza is now powered by a 200 DDis 1248cc diesel engine, which is tuned to churn out 88.5bhp at 4,000rpm and 200Nm of torque at 1,750rpm mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

In petrol version, the SUV is expected to get a 1.5-litre petrol mill under the hood, which would churn around 100bhp of power mated to five-speed manual transmission or an automatic gearbox. A 1.0-litre BoosterJet engine has also been rumored for the Vitara Brezza. The AMT is likely to be offered in the diesel version of the compact SUV. In terms of pricing, the AMT variant of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is likely to be priced Rs 50,000 premium over the current model of the SUV.

There will not be any other change in the AMT model of the Vitara Brezza, except the addition of AMT box. Currently, the Vitara Brezza is available in LDi, LDi (O), VDi, VDi (O), ZDi, ZDi+ and ZDi+ dual-tone variants with six colour options, and comes with features like electrically foldable ORVMs with integrated turn indicators, a reverse parking camera, a smartplay infotainment system, cooled glove box, cruise control, projector headlamps and inbuilt navigation.