- The upcoming Maruti Suzuki WagonR EV was spotted testing in the streets of Gurgaon.
- The WagonR EV is expected to launch in 2022 and will be Maruti’s entry into the EV car market.
- The new WagonR EV sports a split headlamp design with projector units and a restyled bumper.
Maruti Suzuki is one of the most loved car brands in India, with cars rolling out of its Arena and Nexa dealerships like hotcakes. It seems that the Indo-Japanese car manufacturer is readying another hot-seller and this time it’s going to be all-electric. A report from Topspeed states that Maruti’s first all-electric car, the new WagonR EV, was spotted testing on the road almost completely devoid of camouflage. The WagonR EV was spotted on the roads of Gurgaon, ahead of the expected 2022 launch. This is the first time the car has been spotted sans-camouflage testing on public roads which is why we believe that the car is well into its testing phase currently.
Maruti’s first electric car set to launch next year
As of August 2021, Maruti Suzuki held 39.8% of the market share with the bulk of this dominance coming from the economical passenger car segment in India in the sub-Rs 10 lakh price bracket. WagonR is a very popular choice in this segment with a variety of customers all looking for a city runabout. WagonR is a go-to choice for first-time car buyers, small families, and people looking for a second car, especially for the city. The EV form of WagonR only makes it more lucrative.
The WagonR EV has been in development for some time but it is now that we have got a clear look at how it could look like. The camouflage-free look gives us a sneak peek of the front fascia which has changed considerably. The WagonR EV now carries a split headlight design with a slim light area for the amber indicators while the main headlight assembly sits right below. The main assembly looks like it will host a projector setup. The front end grille has now been dropped altogether; this is to aid wind flow smoothly over the car reducing the drag coefficient and increasing the aerodynamics. There is no engine to cool as well now that it has gone all-electric. The air dam now has a new design and houses circular fog lamps.
The rest of the car remains largely the same, as changing sheet metal design is an expensive affair. The tall boy design should not affect the range so much given that it will mostly be driven in the city and regenerative braking in bumper-to-bumper traffic will recapture some of the energy. This also means that the roomy interior characteristics of the WagonR will be carried forward, which is a plus point. The side-profile and rear-end design elements are unclear from the spy shot but subtle changes in design especially in the form of a new tail lamp assembly, new rear bumper design, side cladding, and some EV badging can be expected.
The WagonR’s low price point makes it a perfect platform to convert to EV thus keeping the high pricing of EVs somewhat in check. Maruti’s strategy to aim at city dwellers is a smart move given most early adopters of the EV shift are urban consumers, as well as that city runs, are much shorter than highway runs making people easier to convince beyond their range anxiety. Maruti might be looking at a winner here!
