Maruti to launch new Swift, Dzire in 2014

Indian automobile manufacturer Maruti Suzuki may launch the face lifted versions of the Swift hatchback and Dzire compact sedan in the first quarter of 2014. These new variants are likely to be showcased at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo.

 

 

Swift is Maruti’s largest selling premium hatchback in the country and has been a hot favorite of the masses in this segment since 2005, the year when it was introduced in India.

 

The company has a plan to make the diesel engines in Japan for upcoming Maruti models in India. The future growth of diesel vehicles in India will be going to good and thus Japanese parent Suzuki is becoming a helping hand for the making of engines and though Suzuki is making two in house engines.

Maruti Suzuki launched the Swift in 2005 and ever since the car has been a runaway success. In late 2011 the all-new Swift was launched which took the game even further. The Japanese carmaker has never rushed in to give their products a facelift, but stiff competition has ensured that no car company can rest on their laurels.

 

The Swift leads the Premium hatchback or B+ segment and the Swift Dzire also leads the compact sedan segment. The Swift and the Dzire will get updated  and seems like Maruti will showcase the face lifted versions at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo, if rumors are to be believed the face lifted versions are expected to hit the showrooms by first quarter next year.

Hyundai to launch Grand i10 next month

Hyundai Motor India, the second-largest car manufacturer in the country, is beefing up its small car portfolio with a slew of new models to take on market leader Maruti Suzuki. 

Hyundai has lined up 8-10 launches in the next three to four years. It will drive in a sub-4 metre sedan in the second half of 2014, followed by a multi-purpose vehicle to take on Maruti's Ertiga and a compact SUV positioned between Ford EcoSport and Renault Duster in 2015-16. It's also exploring the potential to launch its flagship saloon Genesis in India.

The company is planning to launch new Eon 1.1 litre, which will be pitted against Maruti’s Alto K10. 

The company launched Eon in October 2011 and currently offers 814cc gasoline engine. 

In the last financial year, Alto sold roughly around 20,000 units a month, while Eon sales averaged around 7,000-8,000 units a month. 

The company will also launch its small car Grand i10 (referred to as the BA until now) in September this year, which is expected to compete with Maruti’s Swift. Grand i10 is a completely new car and will be positioned between i10 and i20. It will be manufactured at the company’s Chennai plant. 

As far as pricing goes, expect significant pricing overlap with both the i10 and i20. Expect the base petrol to start around the Rs 4.5 lakh mark, with the diesel Grand i10 priced at Rs 5.5 lakh.

“The Grand i10 has been positioned above the existing i10 and is targeted at the emerging compact high-entry segment,” the company said. 

Grand i10 will come with two engine variants -- 1.1 litre U2 diesel and 1.2 litre Kappa petrol. 

Even though the passenger car segment declined 10% this fiscal, experts feel that a new launch will bring excitement in the market. 

“Bringing a new product in the segment definitely creates a pull. In terms of product strategy, Hyundai is good at hitting the right area. They offer what Indians want. They were a bit weak on the diesel engine front, but the company will surely benefit with the new diesel engine offering,” said Puneet Gupta, associate director, IHS Automotive.  

Hyundai India reportedly is planning to launch up to four new models in the next two years, including a compact SUV and compact sedan.

Honda Amaze vs Maruti Dzire vs Chevrolet Sail

With the gap between petrol and diesel prices narrowing, petrol cars are making more sense than ever before. And, let's face it, the three compact saloons here are more suited to the short city hop than full-size saloons. It's exactly the kind of environment in which the lower price tag of the petrol car has a big advantage over the diesel car. So what we have here are three cars that fit the bill. There's the Honda Amaze, the Maruti Dzire and the Chevrolet Sail. All have 1.2-litre petrol engines, two are less than four metres in length and all are priced under Rs 7 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)—making them quite a lot of car for the money. Now the Sail may not be a sub-four-metre saloon, but Chevrolet's pricing strategy means that, at Rs 6.41 lakh for this fully loaded LT (ABS), you get a bigger saloon for less than the other two, which makes it even more car for your money. Still, at Rs 6.64 lakh and Rs 6.51 lakh respectively, the Amaze VX and the Dzire ZXi are good value in their own right too.

So, on paper, these three saloons look pretty evenly matched. But what are they like in the real world? That's what we are about to find out.

What are they like to drive?

Amaze

Dezire

Sail

With just 1.2-litre engines powering them, you might expect these three saloons to be wanting for performance, but this is not the case. Take the Sail for example—the engine makes 85bhp and 11.52kgm of pulling power, which translates into decent performance in real-world conditions. The engine is pretty responsive to part-throttle inputs and feels fairly easy to drive in traffic as a result. However, the power delivery flattens out after the rather lively initial response and then it starts pulling strongly again when you reach the zone between 4000 and 6000rpm. The trouble is, when it's revving hard, the engine gets quite buzzy, and even at moderate speeds, the sound it makes is quite intrusive. Add to this a clutch that doesn't offer much feel and a gearshift that isn't the best around, and you have a car that is only mediocre on the performance front—a fact backed up by its 14.5sec 0-100kph time.

Hop into the Amaze after the Sail and you'll immediately see how much better it is. It's amazingly refined at idle and responsive when you're driving around in traffic. The gearshift is superb, the clutch is light and the pull of the engine gets stronger as you rev it harder. It's not incredibly silent when it is near the redline, but it does sound a lot sportier than the Sail. Helping the Honda along is its light kerb weight of 965kg, which helps it post its rather quick 0-100kph time of 13.3sec.

If anything, the Dzire feels even better than the Amaze when you're pulling away from low speeds in high gears. The Maruti has an almost immediate response to small throttle inputs, which makes it very easy to drive in traffic with minimal gearshifts. The Dzire is smooth and quiet at idle as well, and it feels at least as refined as the Amaze. There is some whine from the engine near the redline, and isn't as happy to spin fast as the Honda, but that's the only grouse we had with it. With 86bhp on tap (the Amaze has 86.8bhp, the Sail has 85bhp), performance is good, and even if it's not as quick outright as the Amaze, it holds up well.

Ride & handling

The Sail has the stiffest ride at low speeds. Still, it's not stiff in a crashy, thumpy sort of way; it's just that you can feel everything the tyres are going over. A lot of this stiffness disappears as you go faster, but then again, the car does tend to get unsettled over the bigger bumps. It's not the most fun to drive either. The steering isn't the most consistent and, above 100kph, the car doesn't feel as planted as we would have liked it to be.

Both the Amaze and the Dzire have much better rides, whether at high or low speeds. Around town, the Amaze's suspension is quiet and absorbent and there's little of the sharp vertical movement you get in the Sail. The suspension handles bumps and craters very well and the decent 165mm of ground clearance is good as well.

The Dzire has no such problems. It's clear from the start that it's a quieter, more refined car. In fact, the Dzire's low-speed ride is even better than the Honda's, partly because it gets bigger 15-inch wheels (the other two use 14-inchers) and partly because Maruti has tuned the Dzire's rear suspension for the comfort that saloon car owners expect. As a result, you get a nicely pliant ride at low speeds with some pitching as you go faster. The Amaze's stiffer suspension setup gives it the slight edge in stability as the speeds rise, though. Agility is very good and it surprises you with how comfortable it is in corners.

In the hectic traffic of the city, it's the Amaze's lighter, more measured controls (clutch, gearbox and direct steering) that make it the easiest to drive as well.

What are they like inside?

Interiors of Amaze

Interiors of Sail

Interios of Dezire

All three cars are based on hatchbacks—the Sail is based on the Sail U-VA, the Dzire on the Swift and the Amaze on the Brio. This is significant because the Swift and the U-VA are bigger hatchbacks than the Brio, so naturally the Amaze should have the least space, right? The truth is that the Amaze has the most space of the three, because it has the shortest nose. Honda has increased the wheelbase (the space between the front and rear axles) of the Brio in creating the Amaze, and a lot of attention has been paid to maximising passenger space in the cabin. To that extent, the front seats are slim, the dashboard is pushed forward as much as possible and the door pads have been scooped out for more width. The result is a rear seat that's seriously spacious in relation to the Amaze's compact exteriors.

The Dzire also has a comfortable rear seat and it even betters the Honda's seat on thigh support. But the Dzire's rear seats don't offer as much knee room as the Honda's and the small windows do make you feel quite claustrophobic.

The Sail, being the bigger saloon, naturally has quite a lot of legroom, but amazingly, the Amaze has even more. Also, the Sail's rear seats fall a fair bit short on comfort. The seat cushions are too firm, there isn't enough thigh support and the fabrics feel downmarket as well. Redeeming features come in the form of the raised floor under the front seats that rear passengers can use as a foot rest.

Move to the front of the Sail and again, you'll find seats that are quite firm. The ergonomics aren't great either—the power window switches are placed on the centre console and the gearlever is a bit too far back. The space available is good, but the hard plastics, plain design and bland colours aren't particularly appealing. It is a simple design and buyers might be disappointed with the single-DIN audio system in a class where two-DIN is almost the norm.

The Amaze shares its dashboard with the Brio and this, as it turns out, isn't a good thing. It's not the quality or the fit and finish we take issue with; it's just the very basic, functional design. Honda has taken a radical approach with the dashboard but we feel it doesn't really work, especially in a saloon. The vents, centre console and instrument panel don't line up in the traditional sense and there are some odd looking bits, like the shut-line of the glovebox, which stands out like an upturned lip. The instrument cluster looks a bit too plain as well, and doesn't have the sophistication of the Dzire's.

It's the Dzire's dashboard we liked the most. The V-shaped centre console, the digital displays for the audio and climate control system and the stylish steering wheel all add to the ambience. The front seats are the most comfortable in this group by far, thanks to their excellent size, cushioning and support. Still, the dashboard cowl is high and this does limit visibility to a certain extent—it's something new drivers might not like, as it makes it tricky to judge where the car's extremities lie.

As for in-cabin storage space, the Amaze has no less than nine cup and bottle holders spread across the cabin, and big door pockets as well as a cubbyhole ahead of the gearlever. The Dzire also has door pockets capable of holding one-litre bottles, a cubbyhole ahead of the gearlever and a unique slot on the right of the steering wheel that can hold a mobile phone. We also like the pop-out cupholders on the dashboard that sit ahead of the air-con vent. The Chevy's storage spaces come in the form of a deep, rubber-lined cubbyhole ahead of the gearlever, space under the rear seats and big door pockets.

As for boot space, it is again the Amaze with its 400 litres of space that offers you the most. The Dzire has the smallest at just 316 litres, while the Sail, despite its extra length has just 370 litres of space. It is clear that Honda has really outdone itself on the interior packaging of the Amaze.

SAIL

DEZIRE

Amaze

Buying & owning

The Amaze VX is the most expensive car here by a small margin—but at     Rs 13,000 more than the Dzire ZXi, it's a margin that is of little consequence to today's aspirational car buyer. But the Honda is the most fuel-efficient car here—it gave us 12.5kpl in the city and 17kpl on the highway.

At Rs 6.51 lakh, the Dzire ZXi is quite good value considering it has the best equipment, the best build quality and the most upmarket interiors. Its fuel efficiency is also good—we got 12.4kpl in the city and 16.8kpl on the highway. Both Honda and Maruti offer identical warranties of two years or 40,000km. Both offer equal peace of mind to their customers and both have widespread dealer and service networks.

The Sail is priced very well at Rs 6.41 lakh, considering it is a bigger car than the other two. Going by the ARAI figures, the Sail shouldn't be too far off from the Amaze and Dzire as far as fuel efficiency is concerned. It also comes with a fantastic three-year/ 1,00,000km warranty, pointing at how much faith Chevy has in its product. Still, it's a relatively unknown product and Chevys generally don't hold their resale values as well as Hondas or Marutis.

Maruti Suzuki introduces all new Swift hatchback

Maruti Suzuki India Limited, India's largest car manufacturer unveiled its much awaited sportier and stylish car, the all new 'Swift'.







The new Swift offers best in class acceleration, high power to weight ratio and much improved fuel efficiency. With over 140 new features, many for the first time ever in an entry level variant, the new Swift is set to once again redefine "premium compact" car segment, a segment that Swift had itself created.

The new Swift is built on an all new platform and is longer and wider than its predecessor.







Maruti Suzuki engineers have adopted several new weight reduction techniques for an enhanced power to weight ratio in the new Swift. As a result, while new Swift delivers a power-packed and sportier drive, it also offers more kilometers to every drop of fuel: 6 per cent more in diesel and 4 per cent more in the petrol version. In addition, the Company has introduced the VVT engine technology in all petrol variants of the new Swift. The highly acclaimed DDiS engine powers the diesel variant of the new Swift.

Maruti Suzuki and its suppliers have invested over Rs. 550 Crore to make the new Swift more vibrant and sportier. The next generation Swift comes with a localization level of over 95 per cent.

The Swift is iconic and special in many ways. It entered the Indian car market and became a segment reference point, a blockbuster, by selling over 600,000 units in 6 years making it by far the highest selling car in the premium compact segment.

Maruti Suzuki is confident that with the new Swift the company will further strengthen and expand its position in the premium hatchback segment.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Shinzo Nakanishi, Managing Director and CEO, Maruti Suzuki said, "We have launched the new Swift at a time when there was significant demand for the outgoing model. In keeping with the Swift's iconic status, we had to ensure that the brand continues to offer the latest and the best in terms of features, design, performance and aspiration. I am confident that the new Swift will create new benchmarks with its improved fuel efficiency, stylish & sportier looks and high performance."

The 5 most-selling hatchbacks in India.

Car sales data of June suggest a slowdown in almost every segment but there are still some that have maintained sales and the title of being the most popular cars in India.

Sale of petrol cars suffered the most with the price of petrol going through the roof. Diesel cars were also hit after the government raised its price also.

Brand value, good features, good after sales and spares, reasonable prices, value for money and last but not the least good mileage made these cars more popular than the rest. While some of these hatchbacks have been around for years, a few were recent additions.

Maruti Swift

Maruti Swift, an A2 segment car, along with other hatchbacks like Maruti Alto, Maruti Wagon-R, Maruti Zen, Maruti Ritz and Maruti A-Star reached a sales figure of 52,599 in June this year a growth of 2.3 per cent over June 2010.

The reasons why Maruti Swift ropes in good sales figures compared to other cars such as Ford Figo, Volkswagen Polo, Tata Indica and Chevrolet Beat are its brand value, track record and value for money besides mileage.

Maruti Swift was launched in January 2009.

Its image got a boost thanks to its 85bhp engine with turbocharger, which gave a mileage of 12.8kmpl in the city and 16.6 kmpl on the highways.

The Maruti Swift price ranges between Rs 409,000 and Rs 556,000 ex showroom in New Delhi.

Volkswagen Polo

Launched in May 2010, the Volkswagen Polo is now over a year old and is available in both petrol and diesel variants in the price range of Rs 457,000 to Rs 706,000.

The Volkswagen Polo petrol returns a mileage of 17.0 kmpl just less than Liva and Nissan Micra that delivers a mileage of 18kmpl.

Polo's strengths lie in its awesome looks, interiors and brand value.

Polo clicked a sales figure of 2,679 units in June out of a total of 5,397 Volkswagen cars sold in India in June this year.

Ford Figo

Introduced in February 2010, Ford Figo has touched a year-over-year growth of 53 per cent in June and recently reached 100,000 sales mark.

Good space, powerful engine, large boot and a big car drive feel has considerably pushed Figo sales in India.

The diesel version undoubtedly delivers unmatched performance.

Ford Figo petrol price ranges between Rs 359,000 to Rs 462,000 while the diesel version starts at Rs 493,000 ex showroom.

Figo is in competition with the newly launched Toyota Etios Liva, Maruti Swift, Volkswagen Polo, Maruti Ritz, Fiat Punto and Tata Indica primarily.

Ford as a brand has the highest backing for Figo in terms of sales.

Besides, its after sale service, and spares network are also considerably good.

Toyota Etios Liva

Liva, the 'Lively and Live Life to the fullest' car brings the 'Q' Class experience from Etios and offers QDR standard - Quality, Durability and Reliability at a price range of Rs 399,000 to Rs 600,000.

Launched on June 27 the 79bhp Liva returns a mileage of 18.31 kmpl as per ARAI.

Liva also comes with a 3-year, 100,000-kilometers conditional warranty.

Toyota is also thinking of bringing in a diesel variant of Liva in the coming months. Toyota's brand value besides spacious interiors and looks of Liva are its plus points.

The diesel variant is highly anticipated to further the sales of Liva.

Tata Indica Vista

Tata cars are next to Maruti or perhaps the first preference in terms of diesel cars.

Known for its sturdy nature and long life just like Maruti cars, Tata Indica Vista is a new avatar of Tata Indica.

New body style, new interiors, larger boot are some of the changes made to Indica to make it Vista.

The Vista Aqua has a new 1.3L Quadrajet Fiat engine that churns out 75 PS and delivers 18 kmpl on the highways.

Some users have in fact reported 22 kmpl mileage.

With the improved engine and new platform, the Vista has gained importance and is as maintenance free as any other car contrary to Tata Indica that needs frequent maintenance checks.

Mahindra & Mahindra begins trial production of mini-Xylo

Small is beautiful, seems to be the new mantra for India's largest utility vehicle manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra. M&M is all set to launch a mini version of its popular car -- Xylo. The trial production has already begun. The car will be launched in the next two months and is likely to be rolled out of company's new plant at Chakan.

A diesel mini-Xylo is expected to be priced around Rs 5 lakh, making it an attractive option for customers buying premium hatchbacks like Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai's i20 or mid-segment sedans like Tata Motors Indigo. Experts also believe that a more fuel efficient diesel sports utility vehicle (SUV) will be much in demand at a time when petrol price hikes are burning a hole in a car owner's pocket. When contacted, M&M declined to comment. M&M's stock on the Bombay Stock Exchange was down 0.10 per cent at Rs 672.45 from previous close.

Speaking on the potential of such a mini-SUV, Automotive Dealers Association of Maharashtra chairman Sandeep Kumar Bafna said, "It's the package which will be of the essence – for example if a company can come out with a mini SUV wherein the price is Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7 lakh and it is a diesel product with excellent gearbox, engine and performance. For customers, a mini SUV is something that a person can use as an office going car as well as a weekend car."

Currently most 5-seater SUVs like Suzuki's Vitara are priced above Rs 18 lakhs, which many cannot afford. Even Xylo priced around Rs 8 lakhs is out of reach for many customers. A mini-Xylo could become a volume driver for M&M especially when the Xylo faces stiff competition from the popular Toyota Innova in that segment.

Commenting on the sales outlook for this year, M&M's automotive division CEO Rajesh Jejurikar said, "We have a strong portfolio of brands and we have a lot of products in the pipeline to be launched over the next 12 to 18 months. We are sure we will have a good year."

It also makes strategic sense for M&M to launch a mini-SUV as it wants to leverage its strengths in the utility vehicle market. The company is also expected to launch a global-SUV priced above Xylo later this year. In the second quarter of next year, the company will bring cars like Korando and Rexton to India from Korea's Ssangyong Motor after completing market feasibility studies. M&M completed the acquisition of Ssangyong in March this year and will work closely with Ssangyong for new product development and penetrating international markets.

Maruti All Set To Launch Their First Made In India Car

Maruti Suzuki India Limited, is the largest car company and automobile manufacturer having near about half of the domestic car market share. Its all time hit models like Maruti 800, Maruti Alto and recent models like Maruti Swift, Wagon-R, DZire are known to all. Now the company is planning to launch its first completely made in India New Cars by 2012 and final design of this model will be released in the first half of next year. Final work on the design and other aspects is in full swing, as reported by a source.

Also according to information this complete made in India Maruti car will be placed along with small car segment like Maruti Alto and company is working really hard to launch this Maruti car by 2012 and to make this car also a grand success.

Maruti Suzuki partial subsidiary of Japanese auto giant Suzuki, is working seriously for the company's future car models and also on its growth programme. To carry on development programme of this Maruti car, company is planning to invest a sum of Rs 1,500 crore at in the next 3-4 years time at Rohtak R&D center which is the only center having equipments and standards comparable other than one in Japan. Main manufacturing plant of Maruti Suzuki is located at Gurgaon and Manesar which have annual capacity of more than 7 lac units. One of the spokesperson without disclosing the information about new car told that Maruti Suzuki India is always eager to satisfy their customers and will always work towards the technological development and better facilities.

Also if reports are to believe Maruti Suzuki India Limited is launching this first made in India model to challenge other competitors like Hyundai Motors and to better companys grip in the domestic market.

And to further adding to it, Hyundai Motors is also engaged in designing and developing a model which will be placed below Hyundai Santro to compete with Maruti Alto. So those who are not interested in buying a car in near future may wait for these models to change their minds and make decision.

Maruti to launch five new CNG versions by August

In a bid to save its threatened market share in the Indian market, auto giant Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) is all set to launch not one or two but as many as five of its portfolio models in CNG version in the second week of August . The company will launch all of these variants simultaneously in a single day. The cars which will be launched in the CNG versions in the Indian market include some of the most popular Maruti cars in India such as, best-selling Maruti Alto, recently launched new Maruti Wagon R, compact hatch Maruti Zen Estilo, multi-purpose vehicle Eeco and entry level sedan Maruti SX4.

It is to be mentioned here that the market share of this largest car maker of India fell to 47.59 percent in the month of June 2010 from 55 percent registered during the same period last year. While the total passenger car sales in the Indian market were 4,33,641 units in the first quarter of this financial year, Maruti India sold as many as 2,06,377 units of its cars during this period. By launching CNG versions of 5 of its popular cars in India, the company will certainly enjoy the first movers advantage as very few cars are available in factory fitted CNG versions in the Indian market so far.

According to Mr Shashank Srivastava, Chief General Manager (Marketing) at MSI, the CNG models will be very important in company’s portfolio. He added that Maruti is the first company to come out with factory-fitted CNG cars and it will have the first mover’s advantage in the market. He added that It is the launch of a technology, not the cars. It is the concept of factory-fitted CNG models.

While briefing to the reporters regarding the launch of new Maruti Alto K-10, Mr Srivastava said that the company is expecting about 25 per cent increase in Alto’s sales after the launch of the new variant — Alto K-10. The Maruti Alto is the best selling car in the Indian market clocking sales of more than 20,000 units per month.

Volkswagen launches Polo

Volkswagen, Europes largest car maker, launched its much awaited premium hatchback, Polo at a price of Rs 4.34 lakh for the petrol variant and Rs 5.32 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the diesel variant.

"India is a key market for our overall strategic growth plans and with launch of the Polo, it affirms our commitment to offer quality products to customers at affordable prices," said Neeraj Garg, Member of Board and Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Group Sales India. Deliveries of the new 1.2 petrol variant will begin from March and the diesel variant in May.

VW will manufacture the Polo from its Chakan plant with an annual capacity of 1.11 lakh cars. The Polo offers some standard features like the tilt & telescopic steering and the green-tinted heat-blocking glass.

VW which currently markets the iconic Beetle, Jetta, Passat and the Touareg sports utility vehicle, expects the Polo to be a volume puller and a money spinner for the segment.

The Polo which will compete with the Hyundai i10 and the Maruti Suzuki Swift will have a localisation level of 50% .

Volkswagen Beetle In First Week of December

VW Beetle is scheduled for a launch in the Indian auto market on December 04 in Mumbai. The company has planned a complete advertising campaign including internet, print, electronic and digital media to generate a furor about its upcoming high cost model. Volkswagen AG has embarked on Rs 40 crore ad campaign to build its brand in the run-up to its December launch of small car Beetle and sports utility vehicle Touareg and the January launch of another small car, the Polo. The main aim of launching Beetle in India is to build a brand image in the country.

The car will be imported as a completely built unit in India which will make it pricier due to high import duty. It is expect to be priced around Rs. 20 lakh and above. The company will launch another premium car, Polo, at Rs 4.5 lakh in January. Polo will be the cheapest form the Volkswagen stable in India. The vehicle will compete with Maruti Swift and Ritz, Skoda Fabia, Hyundai i10 and Aveo U-VA.

“We will soon be introducing new car models like Beetle or Polo in India to enhance our presence in the market, besides providing technologically advanced cars for Indian customers. Our factory in Pune is ready for the start of production of Polo, which will be launched during the upcoming Auto Expo 2010,” Joerg Mueller, president and managing director, Volkswagen India, said.

Maruti Suzuki A-Star touches One-lakh mark

Maruti Suzuki successfully rolled out its 1,00,000th A-Star model on Tuesday from the Manesar plant. The Manesar plant which also manufactures Maruti Suzuki models like SX4, Swift and Swift DZire crossed manufacturing 5-lakh units since its establishment.

This milestone was achieved by Maruri Suzuki in less than two weeks after the car behemoth made a breakthrough of manufacturing more than 80 Lakh units of the car since 1983.

"A-Star is doing very well in the export market. We are planning to export over 75,000 units of the car by the end of this fiscal," Maruti Suzuki India Chairman R C Bhargava said.

He also added that the Japanese car major Nissan had increased the order of the small car to 54,000 units for this fiscal from 30,000 units.

Nissan sells the A-Star under the brand name Pixo in the European market.

"At one stage Nissan was very hesitant to place order and they had reduced it from 50,000 units, which they were discussing with us. Now the total A-Star export will cross 1.3 lakh units in 2009-10," Bhargava added.

India number one car maker Maruti Suzuki has already exported over 50,000 units of A-Star to over 44 countries including Netherlands, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, Angola, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Morocco, Libya, New Zealand and some Latin American nations. The making of this small car started in October, 2008.

Tata’s to launch New Indica Today

Tata Motors’ much awaited new Indica which is christened Indica Vista will be launched today.

The launch, which is almost a year late from its initial schedule, comes at a time when sale of the 10-year-old Indica brand is declining in recent months. Indica reported a 32 per cent drop at 7,525 units in July.

India’s first indigenous car Indica was launched in 1998 and the millionth car on Indica platform was launched in November 2007.

It is reported that the Indica Vista comes with three engines — 1.2L Safire (petrol) and 1.3L Quadrajet (diesel) which are sourced from Fiat and the 1.4L TDI which currently powers existing Indica. Indica Vista which will be available in three variants is expected to be priced between Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh.

The car will be pitched against Hyundai Getz and Maruti’s Swift at the high end of compact car segment. “To a certain extent, the launch of new Indica may help the company revive its passenger car sales which off late showed 14-15 per cent decline particularly since it happens after so many years,” said an analyst.

“However, pricing will be an important factor in the success of the new launch. It also depends on how bug-free the new car is. Every manufacturer has some loyal customers who are waiting for the new launches. Therefore, there would be an increase in sales for the first three months,” he said.

Swift sales shoot up to 2 lakh units

COUNTRY'S largest car maker Maruti Suzuki’s runaway success with Swift has crossed a new milestone in sales — two lakh units — with the car becoming one of the fastest selling models in India since its launch three years ago to achieve this feat.

Maruti Swift has attained new benchmarks very swiftly. It has emerged as the fastest selling car in India by completing the two- lakh units sales mark in less than 36 months, a company official said.

The company launched this premium hatchback in petrol variant on May 25, 2005. In its first year of launch, it clocked sales of 61,200 units. The popularity of petrol version inspired the company to launch a diesel variant in January last year.