Suzuki Vitara, 35 Years Become An Important Part Of The Automotive World

Suzuki all-new Grand Vitara. (Doc. Suzuki Global)

JAKARTA - For 35 years, Suzuki Vitara has shown its existence as a formidable vehicle. Not only has a sturdy design, this car also has the ability to drive on the off-road track impressively.

When other SUVs are enlarged, both Vitara and Grand Vitara maintain their dimensions and distinctive designs from year to year, so this car is always loved by automotive fans around the world.

From the official statement received by VOI, Sunday, October 15, it is known that the first generation Suzuki Vitara was born in 1988 as a 4x4 vehicle capable of passing through difficult terrains, such as forest, mud, and rocks. Please note, the name 'Vitara' comes from the word 'Vital' in English which means 'Vitality'.

After several years, the first generation of Vitara received positive enthusiasm from across countries. In fact, this car was once included in the legendary Pikes Peak Hill CLimb event in the US and won it in 1995 through Nobuhiro Tajima. At that time, the SUV had the name Escudo for the Japanese and Indonesian markets as well as Sidekick for North America. For 9.5 years, this model has sold about 1.1 million units and made it the best-selling off-road car in the global industry.

Suzuki marked a new chapter of this model by presenting his second generation in 1998. Named Grand Vitara, the SUV offers excellent performance with an exterior design more dashing than ever. This new model also meets demand for improved safety and better environmental performance.

Despite maintaining its dignity as a reliable off-road SUV, the manufacturer also pays attention to its function as an optimal car on the highway. For the European market, Grand Vitara comes with a 2.0 liter diesel engine thanks to the high demand of this model.

Then, Suzuki launched Grand Vitara XL7 as its first seven seating SUV by providing a large cabin space. The greater passenger transport capacity makes Grand Vitara XL7 a unique model in this series. During the second generation, Grand Vitara has sold more than 800,000 units from 60 countries around the world.

Grand Vitara changed generations in 2005 with a tough identity and more sporty. In line with European tastes, Grand Vitara realized a combination of three main attributes: tough off-road performance, stable on-road performance, and perfect driving quality.

Since its launch, this model has been the prima donna for the European, North American and Asian markets, so that sales continue to increase by reaching more than 1 million units for that generation.

After long using the name 'Grand Vitara', the Japanese manufacturer presented the fourth generation in 2014 and returned the Vitara label. Apart from being tough, this model also has characteristics that prioritize innovation and individuality.

To date, Suzuki Vitara has sold 900,000 units in Europe and Central and South America, and is still being sold in various countries.

Vitara was also present in other variants such as Vitara Brezza which was launched in 2016 which was produced for the Indian market. By reaching sales of up to 780,000 units, the compact car is one of the best-selling vehicles in the country.

Meanwhile in Indonesia, through PT Suzuki Indomobil Sales presents an all-new Grand Vitara with a bold and dashing design. Equipped with the ALLGRIP SELECT technology, this car has the capability of traveling on the off-road track optimally. This car is equipped with a 1,500 cc K15C Dual Jet engine with Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki (SHVS) technology, the vehicle has fuel efficiency and is capable of emitting up to 103 PS and 136 Nm torque combined with six acceleration automatic transmission.

Coming with two different variants, the All-new Grand Vitara is priced from Rp359.4 million for the basic GL variant of up to Rp384.4 million for the highest type.