By Maruti Suzuki is developing a new MPV model for the Indian market which is going to be based on the Suzuki Spacia sold in Japanese markets. The model is internally codenamed YDB and it will be positioned below the Ertiga and XL6. The YDB is going to be a direct competitor to the Renault Triber as it is one of the most affordable seven-seater MPVs in the market. Maruti Suzuki is taking the Spacia as the base but the model coming to India is going to be completely different than the one sold in Japan because that design theme won’t work in India.
We can expect the design theme of new-generation Maruti models to be inspired by the MPV but reports suggest that boxy design will be retained. The Spacia is 3,395 mm in length but the YDB is going to be even bigger but still the overall length will be below four metres. The Japanese Spacia comes with sliding doors but we are not expecting the YDB to come with this as it will increase the cost of the project. The interior of the YDB won’t share any bit with the Japanese model as it is likely to share elements with other Maruti models.
Maruti engineers will cleverly carve out more space inside the cabin and the MPV will come with three-row seating instead of the Spacia seating configuration. The company will also focus on storage bins as it is important for an MPV. In Japan, Spacia is powered by a 660 cc engine but the India-spec model will come with 1.2 L Z-series petrol engine, which is going to make its first India appearance with the Swift later this year. Maruti will sell the YDB via Nexa dealerships as it is going to be positioned as a premium product.
