After Zen, it is time for Esteem and Baleno to undergo a makeover. Sources said Maruti Udyog will roll out two new sedans with a price tag of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 9 lakh next year.
While the sedan with lower price tag will replace Esteem, that carrying higher sticker price will edge out Baleno, MUL’s jinxed offering in the luxury segment.
Ahead of that, MUL will introduce the diesel variant of Swift next February-March. The diesel plant that is under construction, will cater exclusively to Swift.
While most of it will be used in domestic market, the rest are likely to be shipped to Suzuki’s Hungary plant where Swift is manufactured for EU markets.
While a huge chunk of customers are awaiting Swift with diesel powertrain, those who currently own Esteem, Baleno or other mid-sized cars are looking forward to MUL’s serious foray into sedan segment.
"Despite the runaway success of Esteen, sedan segment has been the biggest chink in MUL armour. Parent company Suzuki Motor provided MUL a huge portfolio of small cars to choose from. But sedans were not its strength. The new cars will help address the gap," a source said.
In 2008, MUL will launch a new compact car for exports. "A major chunk of cars exported last year was to EU. This year, all 42,000 cars are bound for non-European countries in South Asia, Africa and Latin America," Mayank Pareek of MUL said.
While the sedan with lower price tag will replace Esteem, that carrying higher sticker price will edge out Baleno, MUL’s jinxed offering in the luxury segment.
Ahead of that, MUL will introduce the diesel variant of Swift next February-March. The diesel plant that is under construction, will cater exclusively to Swift.
While most of it will be used in domestic market, the rest are likely to be shipped to Suzuki’s Hungary plant where Swift is manufactured for EU markets.
While a huge chunk of customers are awaiting Swift with diesel powertrain, those who currently own Esteem, Baleno or other mid-sized cars are looking forward to MUL’s serious foray into sedan segment.
"Despite the runaway success of Esteen, sedan segment has been the biggest chink in MUL armour. Parent company Suzuki Motor provided MUL a huge portfolio of small cars to choose from. But sedans were not its strength. The new cars will help address the gap," a source said.
In 2008, MUL will launch a new compact car for exports. "A major chunk of cars exported last year was to EU. This year, all 42,000 cars are bound for non-European countries in South Asia, Africa and Latin America," Mayank Pareek of MUL said.
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