WINNING FORMULA

Fresh off its ICOTY win, Maruti Suzuki explains how the Victoris became India's fastest-rising, tech-led SUV success story

- By Kurt Morris Photographs Maruti Suzuki

We speak to Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, about the philosophy behind creating a 'Got It All' SUV, the strategy driving its rapid sales success, the rising momentum of hybrid technology, and how the brand's expansive ARENA and NEXA networks continue to power its growth story.

Motoring World (MW): The Victoris has just won the prestigious ICOTY (Indian Car of the Year) award. What are your takeaways?

Partho Banerjee (PB): The process of conceptualising a new vehicle from scratch is a wonderfully stimulating task. So, when it came to the Victoris, you can imagine how this was all the more exciting, considering the future-forward tech-led nature of the SUV. In this day and age, the customer demands everything and more from their shiny new set of wheels. But how much is enough? And how much is too much? With the Victoris, we set out to filter through the noise and truly understand the everyday toys that are demanded and indeed used daily by SUV customers. We undertook a detailed analysis of usage patterns to understand customer requirements. Using a very deliberate and insightful approach in developing the Victoris as a 'Got it All' SUV.

It was, therefore, an absolute joy to receive the ICOTY award for Victoris. This is more than just another accolade — it is the message from the customer, from the industry and from the jury that we have hit the right chord! And indeed, our future-forward, tech-led narrative with our products for new-age Gen-Z mindset customers is an absolute hit, as witnessed by customer confidence and demand. The idea of creating the Victoris is steeped in philosophy — in creating not just another capable automobile in the SUV segment, but one that speaks to the very heart of what our customer wants — technology, safety, design and practicality.