A huge milestone in Suzuki’s 115-year-history just occurred: the Japanese automaker revealed its first electric production car. Called the E Vitara (stylized as e Vitara, but that looks annoying) it’s a small crossover that will be built in India and sold there as well as in Japan and Europe. Based on the eVX concept from last year, the E Vitara is pretty cute. More than being just cute, it looks like Moo Deng.
You know, Moo Deng, the pygmy hippopotamus that was born on July 10 this year in the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand. She became a viral sensation because she is so chunky and slippery and adorable and angry all the time. She kinda perfectly captured the end of Brat summer and the beginning of Brat autumn, along with how everyone is feeling about tomorrow.
You can’t tell me the Suzuki E Vitara doesn’t look like Moo Deng. They’re both shaped like a Tootsie Roll, thick in the middle, not very tall and stubby at the ends, with some chunky bodywork elements. They both have an angry face with expressive eyes and an open mouth. The E Vitara looks like it wants to be my friend but also bite my shoes, just like Moo Deng. Suzuki says the E Vitara is an “Emotional Versatile Cruiser,” which is how Moo Deng would describe herself, I bet.
I think Moo Deng would also approve of the E Vitara’s interior, which looks pretty cool. Suzuki says it has “tough-looking panels,” though it doesn’t say whether the materials are actually tough or not. I like the shapes of the air vents, door panels and center console, and it certainly looks nicer than other modern Suzukis.
The E Vitara is built on a new HEARTECT-e platform developed just for EVs, and it has an all-wheel-drive system called ALLGRIP-e that has an independent electric axle at each end. There’s a Trail mode that can apply the brakes to a spinning wheel and distribute torque to the other end for better traction. Look at Moo Deng’s lil feet! She has ALLGRIP-e, too.
Suzuki will offer the E Vitara in a front-wheel-drive base model that has a 49-kWh battery pack and a single motor with 142 horsepower. You can upgrade to a 61-kWh battery that ups output to 172 hp and the same 139 pound-feet of torque; going for the AWD model adds a 64-hp motor at the rear for a total of 181 hp and 221 lb-ft. In its lightest FWD form the E Vitara weighs 3,752 pounds while the AWD model is up to 4,187 pounds. At 168.3 inches long and 64.4 inches tall, the E Vitara is about the same height and a couple inches shorter in length than the new Nissan Kicks.
Production of the E Vitara will start in India in spring 2025, with the car going on sale that summer. Suzuki, if you’re listening and if you’re smart, you need to get Moo Deng in the ad campaigns.
