Maruti Suzuki's launches new SX4 at Rs. 7.38 lakh

The country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd launched an all new version of the SX4 with price remaining unchanged in the range of Rs. 7.38 - 9.79 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

"The all new Maruti Suzuki SX4 has new looks, and also brings new features such as touch screen audio navigation and electronically foldable ORVMs with turn indicator," said Manohar Bhat, Maruti Suzuki India's vice president for marketing, in a statement on Friday.

 

 

The country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd launched an all new version of the SX4 with price remaining unchanged in the range of Rs. 7.38 - 9.79 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

"The all new Maruti Suzuki SX4 has new looks, and also brings new features such as touch screen audio navigation and electronically foldable ORVMs with turn indicator," said Manohar Bhat, Maruti Suzuki India's vice president for marketing, in a statement on Friday.

 

 

 

"The all new Maruti Suzuki SX4 has new looks, and also brings new features such as touch screen audio navigation and electronically foldable ORVMs with turn indicator," said Manohar Bhat, Maruti Suzuki India's vice president for marketing, in a statement on Friday.

 

 

The new SX4 comes with many features including an all new touch-screen audio with integrated navigation with Bluetooth.

 

 

The SX4 was first launched in India in 2007 and a diesel variant of the car was introduced in 2011. Till now, the company has sold over 1.08 lakh SX4 cars in the country.

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.

New Maruti SX4 Launched

Delayed for over two weeks, the new Maruti Suzuki SX4 has still not lost its fervour. The wait is over and the Maruti SX4 has been finally launched. The main attraction of the SX4 is that the engine of the SX4 is equipped with an advanced variable valve timing (VVT) technology.

The SX4 is an attempt of Maruti Suzuki to wipe out the different assumptions about the brand that is prevailing in the car market. The popular notion is that Maruti is not a great performer when it comes to the big cars. And with other major companies such as Honda, Hyundai, and Toyota striving hard to satisfy the ever growing demands of the customers, Maruti will be in no time pushed to the wall as a small car manufacturer alone. This fear of the company might me the driving force behind the company’s new launch.


Maruti Suzuki has also introduced a 4-speed automatic transmission. The VVT technology guarantees that there is no shortage of power or wastage leading to improved optimized fuel consumption, engine efficiency, and lesser carbon emissions. The advanced VVT technology helps in starting the car accelerating it and climbing steep slopes better.

The SX4 is an environment friendly car that complies with the BS IV regulation, which will be effective from April 2010. It is among first cars in the A-3 segment that abide by the BS IV regulation of emission.

The SX4 has a more efficient engine that gives a mileage of 15.6 km per litre of petrol. The 1.6 litre engine produces a maximum power of 104.68ps @5600 rpm and a high torque of 145Nm @4100 rpm. The new SX4 has been made vibrant with a brand-new sporty honeycomb grille and 10-spoke 16 inch alloy wheels and dual tones interiors and plush upholstery.

The 4-speed automatic transmission is the best choice for city drive. A smooth and sporty drive allows an easy down-shift and effortless up-shift. A cluster of computer controlled sensors continuously administers the throttle input and optimize the engine response accordingly, thus requiring no changing of gears.

The new SX4 has two-tone beige colour interiors. At night, the steering mounted controls are illuminated for effortless usage. There is also new provision of USB connectivity on the dashboard.

The SX4 also has auto climate control system, windshield antenna, illuminated key insert, and variable instrument illumination.

The new SX4 is available in 2 transmissions namely manual and automatic. The two variants in manual transmission are VXi and ZXi. The SX4 is now available in seven metallic colours namely Azure Grey, Pearl Arctic White, French Éclair, Oyster Blue, Clear Beige, Silky Silver and Midnight Black.

The SX4 VXi manual is priced at 6.68 lakh, SX4 ZXi manual at 7.37 lakh, SX4 ZXi leather at 7.71, SX4 ZXi 4-speed automatic at 8.02 lakh, and SX4 ZXi leather 4-speed automatic at 8.36 lakh.

Compact car ‘A Star’ is born

Maruti Suzuki is all set to launch its much-awaited next generation ‘K’ series engine that will be introduced in all its cars in India in the next three to five years. It will also be critical for the success of Japanese Suzuki Motor Corporation’s future strategic global models.

Being seen as a “generational change” in Suzuki’s engine technology, the ‘K’ series engine will be rolled out from Maruti Suzuki’s new engine plant at its Manesar (Gurgaon) complex next month. Apart from being Euro IV and Euro V-compliant, the new engine will be highly fuel-efficient that will be first introduced in soon-to-be-launched global car ‘A Star’.

Both Suzuki and its Indian subsidiary Maruti are banking heavily on its compact world car ‘A Star’ that will be equipped with new one-litre petrol engine. Japanese carmaker Suzuki hopes that the “green engine” would give it a strong foothold in the European markets. And for Maruti Suzuki, the new compact car would help further consolidate its position in the Indian car market and prove to be a timely answer to other newer products being launched by its competitor in the fast growing Indian automobile market.

The new engine holds much significance for Suzuki whose Chairman O. Suzuki, is on a three-day trip to India from Monday. He will also be visiting the new engine facility, that is part of the Rs. 9,000-crore investment being made by Suzuki Motor Corporation in India, and discuss the company’s future strategy vis-a-vis the ‘K’ series engine with Maruti’s top management. Mr. Suzuki would also preview ‘A Star’ at the Manesar (Gurgaon) assembly plant that is undergoing capacity expansion to reach three-lakh units.

‘A Star’ will make its India debut within a few weeks and then enter the European market early next year. While its one-lakh units would be exported to Europe, 50,000 units will be sold in the domestic market.

Currently, Maruti Suzuki has five types of engines used in its different models. The F-series engines in the Maruti 800, Omni, Wagon R and Zen Estillo, the G-series (two variants) in the Swift, Dzire, Esteem and Versa, the M-series in the SX4, and the K-series in the ‘A Star’.

Price gap between SX4 and Honda City has narrowed

Maruti Suzuki officials refused to comment on whether they would bring down the price or offer discounts on the SX4. “The price gap was not much in any case and the SX4 has gained popularity because of its strength as a good product,” commented a Maruti official who did not wish to be identified.

The two Japanese companies have been locked in a tough battle to increase their share of the fast- growing mid- segment of the Indian car market. Ford Fiesta and Hyundai’s Verna have also been notching up strong growth in this category even as Maruti Suzuki launched the Dzire sedan recently in order to add to the competition.

The mid- size segment of the Indian car market registered an overall growth of 14.61 per cent for the financial year ended March, 31 2008 at 2,25,719 units, up from 1,96,942 units in 2006- 07. According to industry body Society of India Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Maruti Suzuki emerged the leader in the segment during 2007- 08 with a market share of 21.85 per cent, a huge jump from the fourth spot that it held in 2006- 07 with a market share of 15.08 per cent. The company sold 49,335 units in 2007- 08, compared to 29,697 units in 2006- 07 to clock a growth of 66.13 per cent.

Maruti succeeded in pushing the once undisputed market leader Honda to the second slot reducing its market share to 17.95 per cent for the financial year ended March 31, 2008 from 20.55 per cent during financial year 2006- 07.

Honda City escapes tax hike by whisker

HONDA City has escaped, by the proverbial whisker, from the increase in central sales tax announced by the government on Friday. As a result the model appears to have gained vis- à- vis its arch rival Maruti Suzuki’s SX4.

Honda City has a1,497cc engine, which keeps the sedan out of the ambit of the central sales tax hike of Rs 15,000, which has been imposed on Maruti Suzuki’s SX4 and other mid- size competitors such as Hyundai’s Verna and Ford Fiesta as the engine capacities of these models are in excess of 1,500cc.

Maruti Suzuki, which is India’s largest car manufacturer, had deliberately priced its Sx4 model below the popular Honda City in order to eat into its market share and succeeded with its pricing policy. It had attracted buyers as SX4 was bigger and yet cheaper than Honda City. However, since it has an engine capacity of 1,586cc the price gap between the two cars has now been narrowed down by Rs 15,000. It now remains to be seen whether Maruti comes up with a discount offer to keep its edge on pricing.

The price of the low- end Honda City EXi is Rs 6,77,000 while the Honda City GXi model has been priced at Rs 7,31,000. In comparison, Maruti Suzuki’s SX4 VXI carried a price tag of Rs 6,38,000 while the higher- end SX4 ZXi was priced at Rs 7,09,000 until Friday.

The price difference between SX4 and Honda City on these two models worked out to Rs 39,000 and Rs 22,000, respectively. Consequent to the Rs 15,000 hike in central sales tax the price gap has been scaled down to Rs 24,000 and Rs 7,000, respectively.

Hyundai too raising car prices as input costs mount

HYUNDAI Motor India Ltd ( HMIL), the Indian arm of the Korean automobile maker, on Wednesday said it would raise the prices of its products by up to two per cent from the first week of June.



“There has been an increase in the input costs and we have been absorbing it for a while. The situation now is such that we have to pass some parts of it to the consumers,” Hyundai Motor India Ltd senior vice president marketing and sales Arvind Saxena said. He said the company will hike the prices of its various models by up to two per cent. “The price increase will come into effect from the first week of June,” he added.

Hyundai currently sells hatchback models Santro, i10, Getz along with sedans Accent, Verna, Sonata Embera in the country. The companys move to hike prices follows rival Maruti Suzuki India Ltd ( MSIL), which last week hiked prices across various models by between Rs 1,000 and Rs 18,000.

Maruti had hiked the prices of all its petrol variants — the hatchback Swift, sedan SX4 and the Gypsy — by Rs 9,000, while the price of the diesel version of Swift was raised by Rs 15,000. It had also increased the price of all variants of Zen Estilo and WagonR LPG by Rs 1,000 and of Alto and M800 by Rs 1,500.

Prices of all variants of Omni and WagonR Petrol were hiked by Rs 2,000 and that of multi- utility vehicle (MUV) Versa by Rs 8,000. Earlier, in January, Hyundai Motor India had raised the prices of all its models by between two to three per cent.

Maruti hikes prices of its models as input costs rise

INDIA'S largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, on Monday raised prices of most of its models to offset the rising cost of inputs such as steel.

The price hike ranges from Rs 1,000 on the Zen Estilo and Wagon R hatchback to Rs 18,000 on its sedan Swift Dzire. The company had launched the Swift Dzire sedan with an introductory price ranging from Rs 4.49 lakh to Rs 6 lakh across different variants, which has now been withdrawn, a Maruti dealer said.

Maruti has also hiked the prices of all petrol variants of hatchback Swift, SX4 and Gypsy by Rs 9,000, while the price of the diesel version of Swift has been raised by Rs 15,000. It has also increased the price of all variants of Zen Estilo and WagonR LPG by Rs 1,000 and of Alto and M800 by Rs 1,500.

Prices of all variants of Omni and WagonR Petrol have also been hiked by Rs 2,000 and that of multi- utility vehicle Versa by Rs 8,000. The price increases, which spared the Grand Vitara SUV, came into effect at the weekend, he said.

Maruti's managing director, Shinzo Nakanishi, had said in April that the car maker was negotiating with steel companies on new contracts, for which it faced up to a 40 per cent price increase. Earlier, Maruti had cut prices of some of its models, after the government reduced excise duty on small cars.