Maruti Suzuki, the largest carmaker in India, will soon launch the second generation of the Ertiga MPV that made global debut at the 2018 Indonesia International Motor Show in April. The India launch of the popular MPV will take place during the festive season while emerging reports indicate the new avatar of the MPV will be sold via premium Nexa dealerships instead of regular Maruti Suzuki dealerships.
Though Maruti Suzuki has not commented about the Ertiga's promotion to Nexa dealership chain, a report in ZigWheels claims some of the Nexa dealers have confirmed the development. If the report is anything to go by, new Ertiga will be the fifth car to be sold through the Nexa network after the Ignis, Baleno, Ciaz and the S-Cross.
The report also claims Maruti Suzuki may not discontinue the first generation Ertiga as it is popular among the fleet operators. The company is expected to rebrand the current version as 'Ertiga Tour', and will continue selling via Maruti Suzuki Arena dealerships for the fleet market. The Ertiga Tour may miss out some features.
2018 Maruti Suzuki Ertiga
The second generation of the Ertiga is based on the advanced and light HEARTECT platform of Suzuki. In its latest avatar, the MPV is 4,395mm long, 1,735mm wide and 1,690mm tall while wheelbase remains the same at 2,740mm.
The new Ertiga gets a massive redesign while the basic MPV silhouette remains unchanged. Chrome bathed new front grille and new projector headlamps have an integrated stance which extends the premium feel. The redesigned front bumper with black inserts adds a sporty touch as well. Sculpted side and rear profiles with crease lines have been done tastefully. At the rear, the new D-pillar and L-shape tail lamps take away the usual blandness of the MPVs in the new Ertiga.
Inside the cabin, new Ertiga gets finely sculpted dashboard with wooden accents and flat-bottomed steering wheels borrowed from the 2017 Maruti Suzuki Dzire. The MPV also gets 6.8-inch touchscreen infotainment screen and new MID (multi-information display).
New generation Ertiga has been revealed with an all-new 1.5-litre petrol engine from the K-Series family, which will churn out 103bhp at 6,000 rpm and 138 Nm of torque at 4,400 rpm. Whether this engine will come to India or the company will stick to the current 1.4-litre petrol remains to be seen. The diesel option is expected to be the same 1.3-litre Multijet engine.
