Maruti Suzuki Goes Green & A New Swift on The Way!

Maruti Suzuki is on a roll these days. First it launches the new Wagon R with a bang, then it announces the coming up of the brand new Maruti Alto with a 1000cc K Series engines, and now it is back in news again – this time with the plans to launch a new Swift! And yes, the iconic car maker has more to tell – it has joined the green brigade, and is soon going to equip all its top-selling brands like Alto, WagonR and SX4 with a CNG engine.

The coming up of the brand new Maruti Suzuki Swift in the international market, though not confirmed officially, definitely confirms the car's journey to India sooner or later. The new Suzuki Swift will sport a 1.2-litre diesel engine with an added dual variable valve timing, which will produce more power and torque than the current Maruti Swift. As per speculation, power and maximum torque of the new Swift car will be in the range of 94 PS @ 6000 rpm and 118 Nm @ 4800 rpm respectively. This will make it the most powerful 1.2 litre diesel engine car in India, even surpassing the presently ruling Jazz’s 90hp engine.

What more can you expect from the new Swift? - Well, it will be more spacious, more fuel-efficient, and far easier to drive on any terrain. With so many added values coming in one package would you mind coughing out a few thousand bucks extra before signing on the dotted line? Of course not.

And now coming on to the car maker's CNG venture, Maruti Suzuki India has already planned to launch a new series of CNG-fired versions of its cars to retain its 50% share in the Indian automobile market.
These cars, which will come with a new factory-fitted technology unlike its retrofitted predecessors will be priced at a premium of around 15-20%. Justified, isn't it?

Top 5 Small Cars in India by Maruti Suzuki

There's one thing common in all Maruti Suzuki customers- they gawk at the stunning looks of a brand new car, revel at the news of a recent launch, but when it comes to buying cars for themselves they stick to the good old vehicles with trustworthy Maruti Suzuki logo on them. Such is the goodwill of the brand, and such is the versatility of these small cars in India.

Here are the top 5 Maruti Suzuki small cars in India till date:

Maruti Suzuki 800- Still produced in four iterations, with two costlier LPG versions, these four generations old Maruti Suzuki cars are still the most favored vehicles of car lovers who belong to the middle income group in India. If you are looking for the most economic buy, go for the AC LPG version. But one thing, you have to come to terms with - Maruti Suzuki 800 cars are more than just common on the Indian roads.


Maruti Suzuki Alto- A notch superior to Maruti Suzuki 800, the Alto wins hands down when it comes to versatility. Go for the top-end LXi model, for that makes the smartest choice. But then again, be sure to come across a hundred similar Altos once you hit the roads.

Maruti Suzuki A-Star- If you are the one those who prefer no compromise in the quality stakes, then this Maruti car is surely meant for you. Contemporary in looks, Maruti Suzuki A-Star comes powered with a three-cylinder engine from the new K-series family, and enjoys a satisfactory demand in the European market as well.

Maruti Wagon R- with the recent breathtaking launch of its Blue Eyed Boy, Maruti Wagon R is going strong and steady. It has very attractive sporty looks, and offers brilliant utilization of space and effortlessness to drive. One hardly gets to pin point a turn-off in this Maruti car, except for the tech-savvy car enthusiasts.

Maruti Suzuki Swift- You see a Swift on roads and you don't feel for a second that this Maruti car is already 5 years old. The Getz, the biggest competitor of Swift has come and went and this Maruti small car still remains fresh. No wonder, it tops the list of all-time favorite small cars in India.

Indian Auto Industry Sales Report for April 2010

After a stunning year-end performance in March 2010, Indian auto industry once again recorded an impressive growth in April 2010. Despite the recent price hikes and discontinuation of some car models in 13 big cities across the country due to BS 4 implications, all major car makers managed to increase their sales during this period. Almost all of them posted double digit growth figures that took the total sales of the domestic car market to a new height altogether.

Maruti Suzuki India reported a significant growth of 29.70% in total sales at 93,058 units as compared to 71,748 units sold during the corresponding period last year.

Tata Motors registered a 52.47% increase in total vehicles sales at 57,202 units, as compared to 37,518 units in the same month last year.

April 2010 total sales for Ford India witnessed a three-fold jump at 7,509 units. The company cited the good response to its small car recent launch Figo for this growth performance. It sold 2,034 vehicles during the corresponding period last year.

Hyundai Motor took its total sales figure for April 2010 to 52,020 units from 44,370 units in the same period previous year, which is a growth by 17.24%.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor, the Indian subsidy of Toyota registered a growth of 77.23% at 6,001 units against 3,386 units in the corresponding period previous year.

In the two wheeler segment, market leader Hero Honda put up a plateau performance. It managed to sell only 3,71,652 units as compared to 3,70,575 units in April 2009.

Suzuki Motorcycle India reported a growth of 53.22% in sales in April 2010. It sold 20,771 units compared to 13,556 units in the same period last year.

TVS Motor Company posted a 27.91% rise in sales at 1,44,689 units compared to 1,13,119 units in April last year.

Finally, India Yamaha Motor, regardless of premium pricing of its motorbikes, registered a growth of 42.01% in sales. It sold 24,960 units as compared to 17,576 units in the same month last year.

New Maruti Suzuki WagonR Reaches India by March 2010

India's largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki will launch the new and updated model of WagonR by March 2010. The new model comes as a part of Maruti Suzuki's efforts to upgrade its models according to new Bharat IV emission norms which will be applicable at all the major metros by April 2010.

The all new 2010 WagonR will be poweredby the 998cc KB series engine that develops 67PS of maximum power at 6200rpm and 90Nm of maximum torque at 3500rpm. It will also be available with CNG option.

The interior of the Maruti Suzuki WagonR 2010 will be re-designed with intimate ambience than the earlier version. Maruti Suzuki WagonR exteriors will be upgraded with a new headlamp to give a new modern look with the addition of ABS and airbags.

The new WagonR is estimated to be priced between Rs 3.2 to 4.5 lakhs

Maruti to Unveil its First Ever Made in India Small Car in 2012

Maruti Suzuki, the leader in the Indian auto market, after enjoying a stupendous market presence for over a few decades is now gearing up for one of its biggest challenges. The company has currently outgrown its parent company Suzuki Motor Corp. in sales figures. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd is 54.2% acquired by Japan based Suzuki Motor corporation is now aiming to grow out of its parent company's shadow and independently manufacture vehicles in India. It will unveil its completely 'Made in India' car by 2012.

For this purpose, the company intends to have its own research facility near Rohtak (Haryana). So far, Suzuki’s research and development facility in Japan has served as the research ground for all Maruti vehicles. The car will be conceived, designed and developed exclusively in India. Also, the company has hired 1000 engineers to aid its new R&D facility.

Maruti India is already using its R&D engineering proficiency in recently launched car models like Maruti A-Star and Maruti Eeco in India. Both of the models were showcased at Delhi Auto Expo in January 2010. Maruti Suzuki chairman RC Bhargava added that the idea behind creating a self-sufficient facility in India is to manufacture company's India-oriented small car in the country itself.

1 Lakh Maruti Suzuki A-Star Recalled

Maruti Suzuki has recalled almost 1 lakh cars for replacing their fuel pump gaskets. The move came after Maruti Suzuki A-Star started reporting of anomalies in the fuel tank. Even before Maruti Suzuki, there are other automakers who have recalled their cars due to increasing complaints in various auto parts. Meanwhile, Maruti Suzuki is on its toes to recall the 1 lakh cars that were manufactured before 22nd August, 2009. The carmaker has been contacting the A-star customers through mails, SMSs and phone calls for replacing fuel pump gaskets in their cars.

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Revised Prices of Maruti Suzuki Models

Effective 16th January, 2010, Maruti Suzuki has increased prices of all its car models. India's biggest and most favourite automaker, Maruti Suzuki has increased the prices that varies from 0.17 percent to 1.47 percent. Ask Maruti the reason for this rise and they have a valid answer to justify this plunge in car rates. The reason is - to recover the increase in the input costs arousing out of raw material costs over the past year.

Ex-Showroom Prices in Delhi (in Rs)
Model	New	Old	Increase	Change %
M800 Std	191646	191146	500	0.26
M800 Std Ac	213062	212562	500	0.24
Alto Std	231585	231085	500	0.22
Alto Lx	265262	264762	500	0.19
Alto Lxi	283878	283378	500	0.18
Omni Cargo LPG	194725	192725	2000	1.04
Omni Cargo	213706	213206	500	0.23
Omni (Eight Seater)	221268	220768	500	0.23
Omni LPG	230388	227388	3000	1.32
Esteem Lx	445968	444968	1000	0.22
Esteem Lxi	476223	475223	1000	0.21
Esteem Vxi	511520	510520	1000	0.20
Baleno Lxi	576173	575173	1000	0.17
Versa Dx	433575	432575	1000	0.23
Versa Dx2	471779	470779	1000	0.21
Versa Std	360182	359182	1000	0.28
WagonR Lx LPG	345106	340106	5000	1.47
WagonR Lxi LPG	373160	368160	5000	1.36

However, there is no increase in the prices of Swift, Zen, Baleno (Vxi) and WagonR (Petrol).