Suzuki introduced this nameplate in 1998 as the second generation of its compact 4WD line, when the V6-powered version of the Vitara series was renamed Grand Vitara. It arrived with a more road-friendly character than the original Vitara, but kept the brand’s core identity: compact packaging, authentic four-wheel-drive capability, and a body-on-frame/SUV-style toughness that helped it stand apart from softer crossovers of the era. Over time, the nameplate expanded into a broader global family, including the longer XL7 variant, and the third generation launched in 2005 continued the Grand Vitara badge with a larger, more refined SUV aimed at markets that valued a balance of on-road comfort and real off-road ability.
The original production run of the nameplate effectively ended when Suzuki changed the model name back to Vitara for the 2014 generation. That means the badge did not disappear because the SUV concept went away; rather, Suzuki retired the Grand Vitara name on its compact global SUV and moved to a different naming strategy for the next era. In 2022, Suzuki revived the Grand Vitara name for an all-new SUV developed for India and export markets, giving the badge a second, separate production period. This later model is positioned as a modern, feature-rich SUV and is not a continuation of the earlier ladder-frame Grand Vitara in the mechanical sense, even though it carries the same historic nameplate. Because the nameplate was discontinued and later brought back, its history spans two distinct production periods rather than one continuous run.