New 2018 Maruti Suzuki Ertiga production begins in India

Ahead of its launch in India, production of second-generation Maruti Suzuki Ertiga has begun in the country. Reports suggest that 100 units are being produced every day in the initial round of production.

With production underway, the 2018 Maruti Suzuki Ertiga will be available for pre-order in India sometime in the first week of November, a report by GaadiWaadi.com said. This is the first upgrade to Ertiga and was spotted for the first time at the Indonesia International Motor Show. It is already being sold by Suzuki in some countries.

The new Maruti Suzuki Ertiga will come with a different look all together. The front has been completely overhauled with sculpted projector headlamps, a redesigned grille, and new bumper. At the back, the tail lamp cluster looks inspired by Volvo. The interior of 2018 Maruti Suzuki Ertiga has been changed a great deal too, with a new dashboard and a touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity.

Like the recent new cars by Suzuki the second-generation Ertiga will also be based on the Japanese automaker's HEARTECT platform. This will allow the car to weigh less while maintaining a sturdy frame. The new Ertiga will also be bigger than the outgoing model, with length, width and height increased by 99mm, 40mm and 5mm respectively.

The wheelbase has been kept unchanged at 2,740mm. To increase cabin space, Suzuki has cut down boot space by 32 litres. This has helped to increase legroom in second and third row. Among other features, the new Ertiga will feature climate control, rain-sensing wipers, multi-function automatic steering wheel, automatic headlamps and rear parking sensors. On the security front, the only MPV in Maruti Suzuki's portfolio will comes with ABS with EBD, dual airbags, and brake assist.

The 2018 Maruti Suzuki Ertiga will have no changes mechanically though. It will be available with the same petrol and diesel engines that it comes with today. The petrol engine is a 1.5-litre motor borrowed from Ciaz, capable of producing 105hp and 138Nm. The diesel engine, however, is a 1.3-litre motor churning out 89hp and 200Nm.

Both engines will be coupled with five-speed manual transmission, whereas the petrol variants will also come with a four-speed automatic transmission. Maruti is also planning to launch a bigger 1.5-litre petrol engine later this year for Ertiga.

Edited by Vivek Punj