But now it’s the Vitara’s turn again to shine – and yes, all you Vitara enthusiasts who have been waiting so patiently and so loyally, we see you collectively fist-pumping – as Suzuki releases the 2023 Suzuki Vitara Hybrid, a vehicle Suzuki says will boost Vitara’s sales by a comfortable 200 units in the next 12 months.

Manufacturers like Suzuki are doing what they can for global CO2 reductions and distributors like Suzuki New Zealand are making a lot of noise on behalf of a little market which has made some big commitments to CO2 reduction.

And that brings us neatly to the Vitara Hybrid.

Vitara sits somewhere mid pack (12 competitors) in terms of sales over the past 12 months, which means a good opportunity to capture more market share and help deliver lower emissions in the segment as it does so.  

The powertrain consists of a turbopetrol engine with a 48-volt integrated starter generator, a 48-volt lithium-ion battery and a 48 to 12-volt converter (allowing the electrical elements to work on the standard 12-volt car battery).  

The latest generation technology gives better reductions by virtue of the Vitara’s all-new 1.4-litre Boosterjet petrol engine, with its newly sourced turbocharger, the first ever for Suzuki inclusion of a gasoline particulate filter and an upgraded set of assist functions from the electric motor.

Compared to the Swift Hybrid whose mild hybrid electric motor makes 50Nm of torque and 2.3kW of power, the Vitara’s electric motor also delivers 50Nm of torque – but over a wider RPM spread than the Swift’s – and 10kW of power.  

Vitara hybrid’s new Boosterjet engine produces 95kW of power and has a maximum torque output of 235Nm – up by 15Nm over the non-hybrid model.

Suzuki will continue to market the five existing models of Vitara alongside the three models of the mild hybrid variants.
Those three models? The yet-to-arrive JX 2WD 6-speed manual at $39,990 is the price point entry level model leading up to the more lavishly specified JLX 2WD six-stage automatic at $41,990 and topping out with the JLX AllGrip AWD six-stage automatic at $44,990.

On road costs should be added to the prices and there is an option across all model Vitara Hybrid for two tone paint as an $800 cost. At present, a clean car discount of anywhere between $1614 and $2181 applies to Vitara Hybrid models.

And for those who were wondering – that should have been all of you – the Vitara Hybrids vital stats are thus:
JX 2WD Manual emits 112g/km CO2, for 5 litres per 100km of 95 octane petrol with 1500kg towing.
JLX 2WD Auto emits 125g/km CO2, for 5.6 litres per 100km of 95 octane petrol with 1500kg towing.
JLX AWD Auto emits 136g/km CO2, for 6.0 litres per 100km of 95 octane petrol with 1500kg towing.