- The eVitara is Suzuki’s first-ever electric vehicle.
- It will be built in India alongside a sister model from Toyota.
- It debuts in Europe, Japan and India in 2025.
Suzuki has unveiled its first true mass-market EV, the eVitara, which it plans to sell in Europe and Japan starting next summer. The Suzuki eVitara will also go on sale in India, where it will be built alongside a future Toyota bZ sister model that will debut at a later date.
In Europe, it’s entering a hotly contested segment of the EV market where Kia, Hyundai, Stellantis, Volvo and even BYD already offer attractive electric crossovers in that space. The eVitara is almost exactly the same size as its direct rivals, measuring 4.275 meters (168.3 inches) in total length and sitting on a 2.7-meter (106-inch) wheelbase.
The EV’s front and rear fascias are all Suzuki, but if you look at it from the side, you can easily recognize that it has the same profile as the Toyota Urban SUV concept, which will also spawn a production model.
You will be able to order the eVitara with either front- or all-wheel drive and two battery sizes. The base battery has a capacity of 49 kilowatt-hours, and you can only get it in conjunction with a single front-mounted 142-horsepower motor. Upgrading to the larger 61-kWh battery increases the power to 172 hp and also gives the option of all-wheel drive with the addition of a second 64-hp motor on the rear axle, which brings the maximum total system output to 181 hp and 221 lb-ft (300 Nm) of torque.
With the second motor and all-wheel drive, the eVitara also features a Trail drive mode that helps it traverse tricky terrain. This version also simulates a locking differential to further increase grip off-road.
If you’ve been in a recent Suzuki, then you know interior quality, design or flamboyance are not strong points. However, the eVitara looks great inside, even with the “tough-looking panels” that the manufacturer advertises in the official presentation blurb. The brown leather-like material on the dashboard and parts of the seats gives the eVitara a premium appearance, especially when compared to other current Suzuki models.
More details about the Suzuki eVitara will be revealed closer to its official debut. Its all-important range rating has not been made public yet, but given its size and battery capacity, we estimate its WLTP range to not exceed the 320 km (200-mile) mark. Pricing will also be revealed later, but since the eVitara is built in India, not China, it shouldn’t incur the same steep import duties that Chinese-made cars face when entering Europe.