Maruti Suzuki's Tata Tiago.EV Rival: To Be Sold From ARENA Dealerships
Tata Motors has launched the all-new Tiago.EV at Rs 6.99 lakh, ex-showroom. Battery as a Service (BaaS) option is also available on the new Tiago.EV which brings down the upfront cost to Rs 4.69 lakh. In this case, an additional battery rent of Rs 2.6 per km will also apply. Tata’s aggressive push with the facelifted Tiago.EV shows strong demand for affordable electric hatchbacks in India. Maruti Suzuki also wants to get its share of the same pie, and is readying a small electric hatchback. We have now learnt that it will launch during the festive season this year, and will be sold through the regular ARENA dealerships.
From what is already known, the new EV will be a direct challenger to the Tiago.EV. It will mostly target first-time EV buyers who are budget-conscious as well. It will stay comparable in dimensions and packaging as well. This new EV will most likely be the production form of the Suzuki EWX concept shown at Japan Mobility Show 2023.
The show car was 3.4 metres long, sitting comfortably between the MG Comet (2.9 metres)and Tata Tiago.EV (3.8 metres) in length. Back then, it seemed to appeal well to Japanese kei car buyers who are interested in EVs.
In terms of styling, the EWX looked much like a concept. The overall design was unique and futuristic. The exterior had a dual-tone finish to it. Subtle fluorescent trims could also be seen on it. The concept had a rather flat nose, closed-off grille and C-shaped headlamps. The rear had an upright design, C-shaped LED tail lamps and an almost-flat tailgate.
Suzuki did not give out details of the EWX concept in Tokyo. It, however, mentioned that this EV concept had a range of 230 km per charge. In 2024, Maruti Suzuki patented the EWX electric hatchback in India. Patent images confirmed that the production model will remain close to the concept with its design. While a patent filing alone did not guarantee an imminent launch, rumours suggested that the EWX would be introduced in India after the eVX-based SUV- the eVitara- goes on sale here.
In the time that followed, we saw Maruti Suzuki’s EV foray getting delayed. Finally, the eVitara was officially launched in February 2026. We also learned that the second all-electric product from the carmaker will be an electric MPV, which is currently codenamed YMC. It has been spied testing multiple times in the recent past.
It was indeed a surprise when our sources told us that Maruti Suzuki will launch its small electric hatchback sooner than expected. It is likely to be out by Diwali. Interestingly, the production-spec EWX will be sold through ARENA dealerships. The eVitara, on the other hand, is a NEXA product. Choosing the ARENA network will, in the long run, turn out to be good for the model. Maruti Suzuki currently has a huge network of ARENA showrooms and touchpoints.
Challenging the Tata Tiago.EV and MG Comet is not easy. The recent facelift has made the Tiago.EV even more appealing. According to reports, MG has plans to introduce a second model into the affordable electric hatchback segment with a better rear seat experience. To secure a win there, Maruti Suzuki will have to get both the packaging and pricing of the EWX right.
The production form of EWX will be based on an all-new EV architecture, which the carmaker calls ‘K-EV’ internally. The eVitara’s platform was called ‘YY8’ internally. Circling back, the K-EV will be a skateboard platform developed ground up. It will be used in multiple other EV models in the future.
Another interesting detail is that the K-EV platform will have a high level of localisation gone into it- something that would enable the carmaker to meet its cost targets. The eVitara uses BYD’s Blade batteries. It is unclear which battery sizes will be used on the EWX hatchback or who the suppliers would be. Suzuki has already set up a battery joint venture plant with Denso and Toshiba. This facility is expected to make battery packs for its future hybrids.