Maruti Suzuki Wagon R 7-Seater Prototype Imported to India For R&D

It's no secret that Maruti Suzuki is contemplating a sub-compact 7-seater MPV for the Indian market, which will be built upon the WagonR hatchback. In fact, the company has now imported two units of the sub-compact MPV (codenamed YJC) in the Indian market for R&D purpose. Though there is no official word about its launch details, we expect the 7-seater MPV to make its India debut at the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Baleno vs Hyundai i20: Features Comparison

The company has imported a 1.2-litre K-series petrol engined prototype and a 1.3-litre DDiS 200 engined version. Though there is no clarity if the production-ready version will get these two engines or the Celerio's 1.0-litre K-series petrol and 0.8-litre DDiS 125 units.

First unveiled as a pre-production prototype at the 2013 Indonesia International Motor Show, the Wagon R 7-Seater MPV is about 101mm longer than the hatchback version. While the platform of the sub-compact MPV will be the same that underpins the hatchback, the former is likely to have a different design unlike the concept.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Baleno Review

The WagonR 7-seater MPV could be among the first vehicles to be rolled out from the company's upcoming Gujarat based facility. To be priced around Rs. 80,000 more than its hatchback sibling, the Maruti Suzuki WagonR 7-seater will take head on against the Datsun GO+ - the country's first sub-compact MPV.

Besides the 7-seater version, the company is also working on an AMT-equipped version of the hatchback model which might come before the 7-seater model.