Maruti to launch in Kizashi by 2010

Small car marque Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) will give big car makers, such as Honda and Toyota, a tough time when it launches the sports luxury car Maruti Kizashi in India in 2010.

As per an auto industry executive,Maruti Kizashi, Suzuki’s first big car developed in-house will be displayed first time ever in India in the 2010 Auto Expo. The car will be powered by a 2.4-litre Euro IV engine, a six-speed manual transmission will be standard in the car, while the automatic one-based on continuously variable transmission (CVT) technology will be optional and will have paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel closely similar to those in Honda City and Toyota Corolla Altis. MSI’s parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation, has already launched this mid-sized sedan in the US.

Maruti experience in the premium-to-luxury cars section in India has been sour as its Baleno sedan model could not excite the market while the flagship sedan Maruti SX4 launched in 2007 lost momentum after the initial pick up. The car in the competing section, Honda City sedan has been holding on to its leadership position for the last ten years though as evident from these figures as Maruti manages to sell only 600-700 Maruti SX4’s in the domestic market against 2,500-3,000 Honda City sold every month.

Maruti premium cars have been rated low on quality and performance. Japanese co-products, such as the Toyota Corolla and the Honda City are far more superior.

Maruti Kizashi is expected to be the first-all-wheel-drive luxury car in India in the Rs 10-13 lakh price bracket with a 21 inch wheel against Honda Civic 15 inch. It is expected to roll out from Maruti sprawling 500-acre Manesar facility.

The car is likely to be priced near or above Rs 10 lakh and will compete with Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Sonata Transform, Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Jetta. Maruti engineers have already started work on Maruti Kizashi and are likely to customise the luxury sedan for rugged Indian road conditions.

The Maruti Kizashi project is indicated to be Maruti’s most ambitious projectin its 26-year history in India though officials have not made anymore revelations.

The success of Maruti Swift and Maruti Swift Dzire, which are leaders in terms of sales in their respective segments, shows Maruti’s designing skills and the ability to develop modern cars.The success of these cars has given Maruti the confidence to venture in the fast-growing D-segment.

Read More on : Maruti Kizashi expert review