Even though the trend tells us that Mobilio’s sales are about to settle at levels which may not really bother Maruti but the company is well aware of the potential of Honda and upcoming MPVs from Renault and others.
To move ahead, Maruti is planning a mid-life facelift of its Ertiga and new spy shots have come up which reveal the front grille and fog lamps enclosure, and are partially camouflaged.
If we look at these spy pics by Gaadiwaadi.com, we see a shiny strip embedded within the fog lamps cluster. However, it may not be LED strips but in fact a chrome/silver strip over the foglamps, just like the new Swift. The redesigned front nose seems better than the current Ertiga and provides a slightly more aerodynamic look.
Apart from other cosmetic changes to the outside, new Ertiga is also expected to get a few updates to the interiors. However, the big changes will be on the mechanical front. New 2015 Ertiga facelift is expected to get a marginal rise in rated fuel efficiency figures and a big possibility of Maruti offering it with the Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). After the success of Celerio AMT and Alto K10 AMT, it is evident that the convenience of clutch-less drive and relatively lower prices have been applauded by the general car buyers.
The key behind the success of Ertiga is the associated Maruti Suzuki brand name and a strong service network. However, we also believe Mobilio’s ambitious pricing is also playing a significant role in awarding a lot of sales to Ertiga.
Launch of Ertiga facelift is expected sometime towards the middle of this year in India.
