As the Indian car market goes through one of its worst phases, car manufacturers look for ways to beat the downturn. It is now known that this spell is one of the longest periods of decline for the car industry, and sales fell by 8% in November. However, Maruti-Suzuki is buoyant and has informed Economic Times that they could surprise us with some products at the 2014 Auto Expo.
Maruti-Suzuki acknowledges the fact that the urban market is facing slackening demand at the moment. They are also well aware of the fact that it is the rural car market that will contribute to the growth in the coming times. When asked about the possible launch plans, this is what Mr R.C. Bhargava, the chairman of Maruti-Suzuki, had to say :
You should expect something interesting in the Auto Expo.
Let us put our thinking caps on. What could possibly be the ace up Maruti-Suzuki’s sleeve?? Here’s the list of their upcoming launches :
1. Upcoming Maruti-Suzuki YL7 hatchback aka all-new A-Star :
This car has been the darling of spy-photographers for the year 2013. As Maruti-Suzuki kept testing the car in and around the outskirts of its Gurgaon factory, eagle-eyed auto-enthusiasts made hot cash. The car is slated to be the A-Star replacement, which was a real dud from the stables of Maruti-Suzuki. Could this be the interesting product that Maruti-Suzuki will unveil at the Auto Expo?
The possible engine options could be the 1.0 litre, 3-cylinder K-Series engine. We might get to see some of the small engines that Maruti-Suzuki is said to have been developing on its own. For our detailed coverage on this car, click here.
2. Upcoming Maruti-Suzuki YL1 sedan aka SX4 replacement :
This is another vehicle that has been spied with an alarming regularity. The YL1 is the replacement for the Maruti-Suzuki SX4 sedan. The SX4 sedan came with a tagline of “Men are Back”, but it was never able to set its sales trajectory back on the right track. Could Maruti-Suzuki surprise us by unveiling this car at the Auto Expo, much earlier than its scheduled time of 2014’s third-quarter.
Maruti-Suzuki has never been able to make a decent impact on the mid-size sedan segment after its Esteem and Baleno were bailed out. Newer models like Honda City and Hyundai Verna have walked away with all the glitz and glamour, leaving Maruti-Suzuki reeling in the dark. However, the new car looks imposing enough to take on its competitors.
We might get to see the 1.4 litre K-Series petrol engine alongside the 1.3 litre Multijet diesel engine as options. Once again, there is the chance of Maruti-Suzuki’s own powerplants making their way into the bonnet. For all the details on this car, click here.
3. Facelifted Maruti-Suzuki Swift :
Undoubtedly one of the blockbuster models of Maruti-Suzuki, the Swift has become somewhat jaded. And that is what has fuelled the speculation that Maruti-Suzuki will launch a facelifted version sometime in 2014. Could the Auto Expo be a possible time window?
The speculation was further fuelled by the emergence of a few spyshots of a Swift rigged with some test equipment. The interior shots revealed new features like a Push-Start Button. Let us inform you that an all-new Maruti-Suzuki Swift is headed to us in 2017. For more details, you can click here.
4. XA-Alpha Compact SUV, iV4 based SUV and SX4 based Crossover :
There is no denying that Maruti-Suzuki has been late into the crossover party. Rivals like Ford EcoSport and Renault Duster have been making hay in the Indian market, with the Nissan Terrano also lapping up a bit of the popular sentiment in favour of crossovers.
Maruti-Suzuki, however, looks clueless. The mentioned products aren’t likely to hit the market before 2015, and by then they would end up playing catch-up against other products. If Maruti-Suzuki does pull up its sleeves to ensure that atleast one of them is present at the Auto Expo, we would definitely be surprised!
5. Maruti-Suzuki RX MPV :
This one could be passed off as pure speculation. Some sources had reported that Maruti-Suzuki was buoyed by the response garnered by Ertiga, and was planning a RX MPV positioned above it.
It was said that the RX will rival the popular-but-ugly Toyota Innova. It would be a 8-seater MPV, and would come with a high-capacity engine that was supposedly under-development in Japan. The presence of this car, even as a Concept, seems very unlikely at the Auto Expo. We will be really surprised if this makes way! For more details, you can click here.
What is your take? Which vehicle from Maruti-Suzuki, according to you, would be present at the Auto Expo 2014??
Source – Economic Times
