Maruti XL6 is third Nexa utility vehicle to clock 200,000 sales

The Maruti XL6, the heavily modified premium avatar of the Maruti Ertiga, has clocked 200,000 sales in the domestic market, 66 months or five-and-a-half years after its launch in August 2019. From launch through to end-February 2025, a total of 202,602 XL6s have been dispatched to Maruti dealers across India.

As the six-fiscal data table above depicts, the XL6’s best performance came in FY2024 when it sold 45,130 units, up 24% YoY. However, in comparison to FY2024, demand has fallen in the current fiscal and the 34,006 units dispatched to dealers in the past 11 months are down 16% YoY (April 2023-February 2024: 40,625 units).

Built on the fifth-generation Suzuki Heartect C platform which also underpins the current-generation (second-generation) Maruti Ertiga, the XL6 is manufactured at Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant. It is essentially a six-seater version of the Ertiga and a proper alternative to India’s bestselling MPV and ticks the comfort and practicality boxes with ease. It is powered by the same 1.5-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine as in the Ertiga and offers the same automatic and manual gearbox options.

The XL6 received its first major update in April 2022 when, along with a few cosmetic changes, it got the upgraded 1.5-litre petrol engine with Maruti Suzuki’s Dual Jet technology and mild-hybrid system, equipped with start-stop tech, and paired to a new six-speed torque converter automatic transmission. This new engine develops 103hp at 6000rpm and 136.8 Nm torque at 4400rpm, 2hp and 1.2 Nm down on the previous 1.5 engine. The current XL6 is claimed to achieve fuel efficiency of 20.97kpl with the manual gearbox and 20.27kpl with the automatic transmission. 

There are seven variants on offer – six petrol and one CNG. The petrol XL6’s on-road Delhi pricing starts at Rs 13.90 lakh for the Xeta variant and goes upwards to the top-end Alpha+ AT’s Rs 17.47 lakh. The XL6 Zeta CNG as a sticker price of Rs 14.99 lakh. The XL6 was the first Nexa UV that received CNG power in October 2022, along with the Baleno hatchback.

With a length of 4445mm, the XL6 is classified under SIAM’s UV2 segment (length between 4400- 4700mm and priced below Rs 20 lakh). This segment also has the Hyundai Alcazar, MG Hector, Kia Carens, Mahindra Scorpio, Mahindra Thar Roxx, Mahindra XUV700 and the Tata Harrier and Safari. At 34,006 units sold in FY2025’s first 11 months, the Maruti XL6 has sold more than the Hector (15,073 units), Alcazar (15,701 units), Harrier (17,693 units), Safari (18,620 units). However, it has sold less than the Scorpio (150,929 units), XUV700 (86,231 units) or the Carens (59,097 units) in the current fiscal.

Sold through the company’s Nexa sales channel for premium passenger vehicles, the XL6 is priced higher than the Ertiga and justifies the increase through its kit and design. Of the 312,302 Nexa UVs sold in the current fiscal’s first 11 months, the XL6 has an 11% share.

Of the five utility vehicles sold through Nexa, the XL6 with 202,599 units is ranked third after the Fronx (287,282 units) and Grand Vitara (286,012 units), and ahead of the discontinued S-Cross (169,011 units), Jimny (25,488 units) and the Invicto (8,341 units). Of the five Nexa UVs, the XL6 was the first to the market in August 2019 and was followed by the Grand Vitara in FY2023, and the Fronx, Jimny and Invicto in FY2024.

Formidable competitor in the Kia Carens
The Maruti XL6 is currently witnessing a slowdown in sales, which could be attributed to its six-year-old status in the market as also a formidable competitor in the Kia Carens MPV.

While the XL6 only comes in a petrol and petrol-CNG option, the Kia Carens gets a naturally-aspirated petrol, a turbo-petrol, as well as a turbocharged diesel engine option. Furthermore, the Carens is actually a much more premium model with plenty of creature comforts, including a sunroof. While the price difference might be significant between the two MPVs, consumers are today willing to loosen their purse strings when it comes to aspirational products.

Launched a good 30 months after the Maruti XL6, the Kia Carens clocked 200,000 sales in India in early February 2025 – news which Autocar Professional broke and was confirmed by Kia India through an official press release on March 7.

(With inputs from Mayank Dhingra)