Ritz & Estilo CNG coming soon!

The Alto is the only car from the Maruti Suzuki stable that sports a CNG variant. The Alto will not feel lonely anymore as far as the CNG option is concerned. According to a report by Goa on Wheels, Maruti Suzuki will be launching the CNG versions of the Ritz and Estilo soon. With this move, the firm intends to grab a larger share of the CNG vehicle market which will prove beneficial owing to the rising fuel prices.

 

The launch of the CNG versions of the above mentioned cars would be just like icing over the cake as Maruti Suzuki has already been selling in good numbers and the firm is no doubt the king of the ‘Small Car’ segment. As of now, the firm will reportedly introduce CNG versions of the Ritz and Estilo only. After analyzing the response of their move, the firm may think of adding a CNG variant to more of its cars to start with, Maruti Suzuki Eeco.

 

However, CNG is not available nationwide which poses to be a problem. But the problem may not be big enough to worry Maruti Suzuki as CNG is available in major places like Mumbai, Delhi and Gujarat and will be available in more major metros across the country in the near future.

Alto might get a K-series

Take a small car and fit a bigger engine to it and see what difference it makes. All of a sudden your everyday car gets a much needed soul and it becomes a lot more desirable. But then bigger engines mean lesser fuel efficiency, which in turns makes small cars with big engines impractical. Seriously?

Well, not exactly. The engines made these days are actually more efficient than the ones made some ten years back. So when NDTV's sources suggest that Maruti plans to give its bread and butter car, Alto a heart transplant, we should be happy. And by now some of us might have thought of buying the car. Alto has proved itself in the market. It is a proper successor to the legend, the 800. Though Alto had a 1.1L engine in the past, but it was thirsty. So they discontinued it and the car was available with just one engine option. But as emission norms get stricter with each passing day, Maruti had to upgrade the 800cc engine to BS-IV. But replacing the engine to an already BS-IV engine makes more sense. The only engine they have in their line-up suitable for this small car is the 1L K-series (K10B)engine doing the duty in Alto's European namesake, the A-star. So fitting a 1L K-series engine solves a lot of problems. Maruti-Suzuki can produce a total of 2.5 lakh K-series engines annually, which will have to be upgraded once they start producing the new Alto.

Maruti Suzuki India Chairman R C Bhargava said, "Alto needs a face-lift. It has been there for quite a while." No comment was made on how the car be like, an upgrade or an entirely new one. Sources suggest that if this plan of Maruti's materialises, then Alto's price will go up by a small margin.

Alto has been doing good in the market with around 20,000 units selling per month. The new car is worth a wait. Lets see how Maruti plans to upgrade the Alto.

Source: Motoroids

2010 Wagon R details revealed!

This is just a representative image - the actual car may look different

We had earlier reported that the upgraded Wagon R will hit the streets on by the end of April. We also assured that the upgrade would not be just a minor face lift but would be much more than that since the firm has spent a lot of money on the upgrade. The firm has finally revealed that the car will hit the streets on 23rd of April. The upgraded Wagon R will be based on the current Japanese Wagon R. the new Wagon R will be taller, longer and wider and will feature new suspension components both in the front and rear suspensions. The bigger size ensures that the Wagon R is more spacious than before and provides better comfort.

The car will kick away the present 1.1-L engine and make way for a smaller 1.0-L three cylinder K series engine. The engine is the same 67 bhp engine from the A Star/Estilo. The gear ratios have been altered though so that the 3 cylinder engine can carry the hefty weight of the Wagon R. The car also sports a new dashboard, an integrated audio system and the rear wash-wiper in the apex Vxi model.

The car will be sold in the similar Lx, Lxi and Vxi variants as before. However, the Duo variant will be missing. There is no confirmation whether the Duo variant will be launched later on. Wagon R is Maruti Suzuki’s second bestselling car which has managed to hit a total sales figure of more than 800,000 units since its 1999 launch.

Source: BSMotoring, Motoroids

Exterior Styling:

• Bold and Aggressive Design
• V-character line
• Bigger and sweeping lamp with blue tint
• Wider bumpers that stretch to the corners
• Sloping character (roof)
• Flared fenders
• Bigger and wider wheels 
• Upright character in rear
• Ease in ingress and Egress (Larger doors)
• Chrome accentuation in Front and Rear (WagonR brand engraved in chrome in rear)
• Improved rear visibility.

Interior styling

• Dual tone interiors
• New IP, Silver accentuation all around
• 3-D seat fabric
• New Steering wheel
• Tilt steering
• Integrated audio with AUX-in and 6-band graphic equalizer.
• New ergonomic gear knob
• New Speedometer design
• Full-trim interiors including A, B and C pillar trims.

Spacious Package

• Best in class wheel base (2400mm, +40 mm more than wagonR)
• Huge leg-space. Best in segment tandem distance (100 mm more than previous WagonR)
• Best in class front seat travel (240mm, 33% more than WagonR) - helps tall users
• Best in segment front and rear headroom

Utilitarian add-ons

• Push type cup holders, utility hook
• Sturdy and deeper glove box with integrated shelf.
• Utility basket under co-driver seat (environment care)
• Front door map pocket
• Soft insert on the floor console(to safeguard the cell-phone camera unit)
• 60:40 split rear seats
• Co-driver side seat back-pocket
• Rear parcel tray
• Integrated tool box

Customer sensitive

• Tilt steering
• Electrical Outside Rear View Mirrors (ORVM)
• Front & Rear power windows
• Keyless entry
• Foldable assist-grips

Performance

• K-series engine
• Cable type transmission
• A power of 68 PS
• A high torque of 90Nm.
• New frame type suspension
• Better NVH
• Ride and comfort
• Stability
• New HVAC unit
• Fuel Efficiency of 18.9 kmpl

Safety

• ABS & dual Airbag
• Rear Defogger, wiper & washer
• Driver seat belt indicator
• Security system, i-CATS

Refreshed Wagon R by the end of April!

India’s car giant Maruti Suzuki revealed its plans to roll out the all new Wagon-R by the end of April 2010. According to various sources, the firm has spent Rs. 290 crore in upgrading the firm’s best selling hatchback. In addition to this, the company also confirmed the phasing off of the ‘Duo’ variant which runs on both LPG and petrol. When inquired, Mayank Pareek, Maruti Suzuki India Executive Officer (Marketing and Sales) said, “As of now, we have stopped the Duo and the new WagonR will only be in gasoline.”

The refreshed Wagon R will not be just a face lifted one. This fact was supported when Mr. Pareek revealed that a minor facelift usually costs about Rs. 50 crore and when the firm is said to have spent a little less than six times this figure, there is no harm in expecting something more this time. The expected Wagon R will definitely be BS-IV compliant and will feature the Maruti Suzuki K10B engine which will be manufactured at the firm’s Gurgaon plant. The new engine will also be mated with a new improved transmission system.

According to Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) standards, the car will have the capacity to return a mileage of about 18.9 kmpl.

Suzuki Kizashi to be imported by Maruti as CBU

‘Kizashi’ in Japanese means ‘a sign of great things to come’. This meaning has come true in its sense as the great thing i.e. Kizashi is on its way to the Indian streets. Maruti Suzuki confirmed that they have plans to import the Suzuki Kizashi to India as a CBU by the end of 2010. The car was displayed in the Auto Expo at Delhi. The car is Suzuki Motors Corporation’s flagship model in the D-segment as well as its sixth world strategic model. The car hit the Japanese and American streets during October and December 2009 respectively.

According to a few sources, “Kizashi is very much on the company’s drawing board. But right now, Maruti will follow CBU route from its Sagara plant in Japan during this calendar year. Eventually, the company may consider importing CKD kits from the same plant later subject to market demand.” To support the news, a Delhi based dealer also confirmed Maruti’s plans to launch the car in India around October, this year. According to the dealer, “The price bracket of Kizashi will be Rs. 12-14 lakh and it will be the most feature-rich car amongst Maruti’s portfolio. When asked about the engine specifications, he said, “It’s highly likely that it will sport a 2.4 litre all-aluminum engine.”

American Suzuki Motor Corp (Automotive Marketing and Public Relations) Vice-President Gene Brown reported to PTI during the Chicago Auto Show, "The Kizashi is going to be sold in India. I do not think the launch in India is that far in the future." He did not shed more light on the topic of Kizashi in India as he wasn’t in charge of the Indian Market.

Maruti Suzuki hikes prices with immediate effect!

The year 2010 seems to be cutting a wide hole across the pockets of the consumers of the Automotive Industry. The cost of production has always been increasing owing to the price of raw materials and resources. But to add to the misery, the BS IV emission norms have become the new excuse for price hike. Maruti Suzuki has revised the prices of its products. the prices have gone further up now. the new prices will be applicable with immediate effect.

The price rise on various models varies from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 9,000 approximately. The A-Star and Ritz will now be costlier by Rs. 1,000. The prices of Estilo and Omni has been rised by Rs. 2,500 and Rs. 3,000 respectively. The Swift and Dzire will be costlier by Rs. 3,750 and Rs. 7,000 respectively. The SX4 will observe a price rise by a whopping Rs. 9,000. The firm has also revised the prices of its BS III products including Maruti 800, Omni (LPG) and Gypsy. The Gypsy will be costlier by Rs.10,000 while the Maruti 800 and the Omni (LPG) will observe a price hike by Rs.3,000 each. 

The car manufacturer has also confirmed the withdrawal of the introductory prices of the Eeco. Thus, the Eeco will be costlier by Rs. 10,000 approximately.

Maruti Suzuki sells more than a million units in 2009-10!

Maruti Suzuki India Limited has finally made a benchmark in Indian Automotive History by managing to sell a total of 10,18,365 vehicles in the year 2009-10. The firm is the first car company in India to sell more than a million units in a financial year. Out of the total sales in the fiscal, 8,70,790 units were sold in the domestic market which again is the highest ever sold by the car company in a fiscal year. To add to this, the company’s export sales of 1,47,575 units of the year proved to be the highest annual exports by the firm.

As compared to the sales in the last financial year which was 792,167 units, the sales of the firm have witnessed a growth of 29 per cent. The domestic sales in the A2 and the A3 segments grew by 23.8 per cent and 30.8 per cent respectively, when compared to the sales figures of the year 2008-09.

The firm’s fuel efficient and compact car christened A-Star topped the exports sales figures with the sale of 1.27 lakh units overseas. The A-Star was exported to various European markets including United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands etc. amongst the non-European markets, the car was exported to Algeria, Chile, Indonesia and neighboring countries. The car was also exported to a few new markets including South Africa, Hong Kong, Australia and Norway.

In the month of March, 2010 Maruti Suzuki managed to sell a total of 95,123 units which is a growth of 11 percent as compared the sales figures for the month, in the last year which was 85,669 units. Out of the total sales, 79,530 units were contributed by domestic sales. The firm observed the highest monthly exports figures of 15,593 units which makes the export figures of August 2009 (14,847 units) second highest.

Maruti Suzuki rolled out its millionth unit of the year 2009-10, just recently on the 23rd of March, 2010. This makes the firm one amongst the few select global auto makers who share similar sales figures. In order to reach the production capacity of 12,50,000 units a year, the firm is reportedly expanding its production facility at Manesar with an investment of Rs 1,700 Crore.

Several cars to be phased out due to BS IV norms

The Bharat Stage IV (BS IV) emission norms will be applicable from the 1st of April, 2010. However, the entry of the BS IV norms has marked the exit of various old car models including the Skoda Octavia, Fabia (petrol) and Chevrolet Tavera. Maruti had taken the decision of not upgrading its Maruti 800 to suit the BS IV norms after which Skoda has decided to do the same for a few of its car models including the Octavia and Fabia (petrol). The Octavia’s 1.9 TDi Pumpe-Duse engine along with the Fabia petrol engine will be spared from being upgraded to the BS IV requirements making it face the similar fate of the once-legendary Maruti 800. These cars will now not be available in 13 cities across the country.

The Tavera from Chevrolet’s stable too is ready with its bags packed to bid good bye to all the BS IV cities. The MPV contender’s 2.5-litre diesel engine will not be upgraded by the firm to meet the BS IV requirements which will make the car unavailable in BS IV cities.

 

However, all the four cars mentioned above will be available in the showrooms of BS III cities across the country. Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Kanpur, Ahmedabad, Surat and Agra are a few amongst the cities which will bear the BS IV emission norms from the 1st of April.

Maruti is all set to roll out its millionth vehicle

After 26 long years of existing in India, Maruti Suzuki is all geared up to roll out its millionth vehicle on the 23rd of March, this financial year. Suzuki Motor Corp’s chairman Mr. Osamu Suzuki is keen to be a part of the celebrations which is why he will soon be on his way to India. It may not be great news for international biggies like Toyota, GM and Suzuki itself since they are wide spread in the international market. It is rather an achievement for Maruti Suzuki since most of its major operations take place in the Indian Market only.

“It (the roll out of the millionth vehicle) is indeed a very satisfying feeling, as it marks the culmination of a journey that started 26 years ago,” said Maruti Suzuki chairman RC Bhargava. “Maruti Suzuki will now rank among a select few companies which would be producing a million units in a year,” he added.

Maruti Suzuki was born when the country witnessed the production of mere 40,000 cars in a year. The firm’s first car, Maruti 800 which was launched in 1983 proved to be a legend which brought success for almost two decades.

Compare the Top Movers & Shakers - Polo, Punto, Swift and Figo - Which one is for you?

With the B-segment flooding with offerings from various manufacturers, a war of hatchbacks to capture the market is just about to begin…


Click here to read the full analysis.

Never before in the Indian car industry have we seen such carnage in a segment. The B-segment is suddenly loaded with quality contenders which not only boast great engineering and features, but incredible pricing as well.

Suzuki eyes on getting full control over Maruti

Suzuki Motor Corporation now owns 55% stake in Maruti Suzuki, which has triggered speculation about the Japanese firm’s intentions of taking full control on its Indian subsidiary. As per the Indian rules and regulations relating to stake acquisition, a foreign company is allowed to increase its stake unto 5% each year. As such if the foreign company achieves a stake of 55% and beyond then it can make a direct offer for another 20%.

Suzuki's website is yet to reflect the revised stake holding of its company and several emails sent to Suzuki by media persons remained unanswered. However, a person close to the company said that "Any change in the stake holding will only come up before the board at the statutory board meeting scheduled for the third week of April”.

New Wagon-R will be launched in April 2010

Just a week ago, Maruti Suzuki was in news, following a recall of over one lakh A- stars to replace the fautly fuel gaskets and O- rings. And even in this dissappointing time, Maruti Suzuki is all set to get the new face lifted version of the Wagon R, which is slated to take its first public bow in April, 2010 and phase out the existing one. This revamped version will be housed with the new K- series, 1 litre engine which will be in line with the Bharat Stage IV emission norms. The hatchback will also don new headlights with pilot light and two fog lamps. The new Wagon R will come along with a price tag of Rs. 3.3 lakh.

Maruti Suzuki recalls 1 lakh A- Star to replace Faulty Fuel Gaskets

Following reports of anomalies in the fuel tank, Maruti Suzuki, the biggest car maker in India are now in the process of recalling over one lakh A- stars to replace the faulty fuel pump gaskets and O rings. Approximately these affected one lakh cars were manufactured before 22nd August, 2009.

An official press release states, "At Maruti Suzuki, we constantly monitor quality of our products through feedback and internal analysis. In one such exercise in November ‘09, we came across an anomaly reported in the fuel tank in some of the vehicles and by December ’09 we started contacting the customers through letters. These vehicles belonged to lot made till 22nd August ’09 only. In case fuel is filled up to brim, beyond fuel auto cut off position, a possible fuel leakage from fuel pump mounting area may take place. No problem has been reported by customers. However, as a proactive step, we decided to check all vehicles from the lot, around 1 lakh units including those exported overseas. We are changing fuel pump gasket and O ring at no cost to customer. We are midway through the checking activity and hope to complete it soon. The final cost arrived at on this account will be shared with the supplier partner.”

Furthermore, the company has indicated that it has already kickstarted the repair process last year and are done with half of the affected units so far.

The end of Maruti 800

The humble 800 was the car which changed the fortunes of Maruti Suzuki in India. It also encouraged masses to get behind the wheel owing to its affordable motoring appeal. Since its launch in 1983, the manufacturer has sold over more than 27 lakh units of its bread and butter model. From April onwards buyers in a select few metros will no longer be able to purchase the 800.

According to the new emission norms, all cars sold in the major cities from the 1st of April should conform to Bharat Stage IV emission standards. The list of major cities include Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Surat, Agra and Kanpur. Maruti Suzuki has taken a decision that it will not upgrade its 800 model to meet the Bharat Stage IV emission norms.

While speaking to media persons about the decision taken R.C.Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki, said that the company was contemplating about upgrading the 800 to meet newer emission norms but has taken a decision to stop selling the car in cities where the new norms will be implemented from April 1. He also said that the company will continue to sell the car model in Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities across the country. The new norms also require that cars sold in the above cities from April 1 should conform to Bharat Stage III emission norms.

Since the past couple of years, the Alto has become Maruti Suzuki's numero uno model with respect to sales. Tata has also taken a plunge into the low cost car market with the launch of its Nano. When quizzed by reporters on whether Maruti Suzuki too was planning to launch a new model to replace the 800 Bhargava said that there are no plans as such.

New Engines for Alto and Wagon R

Maruti, India’s biggest car manufacturer has reportedly been working on a new engine for two of its best selling hatchbacks Alto and Wagon R which are presently powered by an 800cc and 1.1-litre engine respectively. With this move, prices of the respective cars are expected to drop which will help boost sales. According to sources close to Maruti, the firm is working on a new engine code named ‘YP3’.

The firm is likely to develop two variants of the YP3 engine. The Alto will be powered by a two cylinder engine while the Wagon R will feature a three cylinder one. No exact displacement figures are available, but the possibilities of a 600-700cc engine for the Alto and a 1.0-litre engine for the Wagon R is quite high. The revised cars will definitely be priced below the current prices which Maruti believes will help rev up their sales.


The move could prove to be beneficial to the firm due to the tightening competition in the small car segment. The small car segment in India has recently witnessed the interest of auto giants like Toyota, Volkswagen, Honda and Nissan. There could be no other reason why Maruti Suzuki India’s managing director S Nakanishi feels that 2010-11 will be the toughest year for the firm.

Maruti reports record profits

The Board of Directors of Maruti Suzuki India Limited recently approved the financial results for the third quarter of 2009-10 (October – December 2009). The firm has claimed to have achieved net sales (net of excise) of Rs 73,338 million during the third quarter of 2009-10. This increase is equivalent to 62.5 per cent as compared to the third quarter of the previous year. The company has registered a net profit of Rs 6,875 million which is an increase of a whopping 221.9 per cent compared to the third quarter of 2009-10.

Maruti Suzuki’s domestic sales volume grew by 37.8 per cent to 218,910 units in the October – December 2009 quarter. The cars that led the sales in this period of time were the Alto and WagonR. The firm’s domestic A2 segment and A3 segment sales volume grew by 38.6 per cent and 41.7 per cent respectively as compared to the sales in October – December 2008. The firm’s exports observed a growth of over 167 per cent to 39,116 units as compared to the 14,634 units exported in October – December 2008.

The company stated that favorable conditions in the domestic market supported by the government’s stimulus package and ease of automobile finance facilities helped achieve the good sales during the quarter. Commodity prices too were favorable for a major period of the quarter. However, the last few weeks observed considerable price rise. The firm also cites the successful export figures of its A-Star as a reason for its good sales.

Along with this, the Board of Directors also confirmed the approval of the investment in capacity expansion at the firm’s Manesar plant. Maruti Suzuki has invested a sum of about Rs 1700 Crores for the expansion of the production capacity of its plant. The plant will be able to manufacture 250,000 cars on an annual basis.

Maruti Suzuki Cars are now costlier!

Maruti Suzuki follows suit after Honda Siel Cars India and BMW recently increased the prices of their cars owing to rise in input costs, including that of steel. Most of the models will observe a rise in its price tag from the range of a few hundred rupees to as high as Rs 10,000 per car. The prices may vary as per on-road prices of various cities.

The company stated that the average increase in prices would be around 0.6 per cent. But, the Ritz VDi and the Swift Dzire LXi models will witness a rise of 0.12 per cent and 1.9 per cent respectively. However, the firm did not comment about the hike in terms of Rupees.

Maruti Suzuki also confirmed that it’s recently launched multi-purpose vehicle Eeco and the petrol engine powered Swift and Gypsy models will be spared from the price hikes.

A Maruti Suzuki official confirmed, “The price increase is to partly recover the increase in the input costs arising out of raw material costs over the past one year. For some models the increase in the costs are being absorbed by the company.”

Along with this, the company also confirmed that the introductory prices introduced in August last year for its refreshed Estilo has been withdrawn. As a result of this, the Estilo will now be costlier by Rs 1,234 to Rs 2,486 as per variants.

Maruti’s Swift and Swift Dzire get a more efficient engine

The cars within the stable of Maruti Suzuki which feature the K series engine will witness the addition of the Swift and the Swift Dzire within its family. Both the Swift hatchback as well as the Swift Dzire sedan will finally come with a K-series engine almost 7 long months after the same engine made its debut in the Ritz hatchback. This engine will be a 1.2-litre Bharat Stage – IV (BS – IV) compliant petrol engine, the BS-IV norms being the reason why Maruti finally had no choice left but to drop the archiac 1.3 litre unit. Maruti claims that the new engine along with a revised five-speed transmission system will boost the fuel efficiency to a whooping 17.9kmpl up from the old 1.3 litres 15.8 kpl. The diesel variants of both the cars also feature an upgraded engine which is compliant to the BS-IV norms. Ritz and A-Star are amongst the other models which are powered by the new K-series all-aluminium engines.

The new K12 Engine that powers the Ritz and A-Star will now be fitted to the Swift and Swift Dzire. This change has brought about an increase of Rs 10,000 to the price tag of Swift Dzire. However, the Swift's price remains unchanged.

Maruti launches Eeco MPV

Maruti Suzuki has launched its Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) at the Auto Expo. The five-seater variant of the MPV has been priced at Rs.2,59,000 while the seven-seater variant will retail for Rs.2,75,000. The manufacturer had earlier also unveiled an electric version of the vehicle. Maruti Suzuki intends sales of the Eeco to hover around the 40,000 unit mark annually. The electric EECO's will be on taxi duty at the 2010 commonwealth games, while the petrol powered EECOs go on sale from today.



The electric Eeco is powered by a 5KW lithium ion battery pack which gives the MPV a range of 100kms and pushes it a top-speed of 100kph.

Volkswagen-Suzuki to develop Alto replacement

Its only been a day since Volkswagen bought a stake in Suzuki but both companies have already started planning about how to make their partnership favourable for each other. Volkswagen-Suzuki is planning to launch a replacement for the Alto apart from developing small cars in the $4000-5000 range for the Indian and European markets.

Speaking to the media, R.C. Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki, said that the company will need a car in the Rs. 2.5 lakh price range. He admitted that earlier it had the 800 and now the Alto but at some point a replacement will be needed for the Alto. He also said that the above price range comprises the entry-level segment for Indian car buyers and they can't ignore that segment.



Volkswagen is likely to launch its hatchback Polo in the country at the upcomming Auto Expo in January. Both the companies are also chalking out plans to develop electric and small cars for India and Europe which will be launched under both brands. They are specifically looking at developing a new car in the $4500 price range. Currently, the cheapest offering from the Volkswagen stables for Europe is the Up which retails for under $9000.
 
The spokesperson for Volkswagen, Fabian Mannecke, told the media that Volkswagen will be greatly interested in a car below the price segment of the Up and it is something that they will need to check in their future together with Suzuki.

Suzuki is interested in sourcing diesel engine technology from Volkswagen. Suzuki lacks behind other manufacturers in terms of diesel engines and currently sources the engines powering its cars from Fiat. The companies are also looking at developing common platforms for their future cars.