Maruti Suzuki’s latest pin up car, “tall boy” Maruti Suzuki Ritz has been hitting the roads in decent numbers since its launch in May. It has been reported that buyers prefer Maruti Suzuki Ritz petrol variant to the diesel one. In fact, about 70 percent of current Ritz sales are for the 1.2-litre petrol engine version, with the remaining opting for the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel version.
This marks a significant shift in preference among buyers of B-segment small cars in India as these customers have preferred diesel versions for their lower running costs over the ages. One of the reasons for this preference for the Ritz petrol is that it is significantly cheaper than the diesel version. Another reason for the popularity of the Ritz petrol is that it is powered by Suzuki’s new generation KB series engine which offers improved refinement and relatively better fuel economy. This helps it to narrow the gap in terms of efficiency and running costs between the petrol and diesel versions.
The increased popularity of petrol engines among hatchback buyers is an important new trend in the Indian car industry. It is also an indication of the increasing maturity and sophistication of car buyers in India, who are carefully weighing the pros and cons of petrol and diesel versions and not buying diesel merely out of habit.
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