Maruti Suzuki has been the leader in the Indian car market since more than two decades now and the company plans to maintain its numero uno position in spite of intense competition from new entrants. The company is planning to launch an array of products, which will ensure it stays at the top in most segments. Maruti Suzuki already has a lot of hatchbacks in its portfolio and the company doesn’t plan to enter premium segments. Instead, the focus will continue to remain on smaller cars, which account for a major chunk of sales in the country.
Suzuki has never done well in premium segments. The Kizashi hasn’t worked in India nor anywhere overseas, resulting in the company pulling out of the US market completely. The most expensive Maruti Suzuki vehicle in India, which has worked well is the Ertiga. The company plans to launch more products around that price range, including a compact SUV (production version of the XA Alpha) which will be positioned along side the Ertiga. The most interesting piece of news though, is the launch of three new sedans.
Maruti Suzuki plans to launch the next generation SX4 sedan, which will be much bigger than the current car, entering into Toyota Corolla and Chevrolet Cruze territory. A new C-segment sedan, which will be more than 4-metres in length and will compete with the Hyundai Verna and Volkswagen Vento. This sedan will be based on then extended Swift platform. The third sedan will be based on the A-Star and will measure less than 4-metres in length. It will be positioned below the DZire and our rendering below gives a rough idea of how it might end up looking.
Maruti Suzuki will launch these three sedans by 2014. They will be powered by the current range of engines which are already on duty on various Maruti Suzuki cars. The company is also developing a compact diesel engine to power entry level models like the WagonR and A-Star. The SX4 replacement might borrow powertrains from Fiat, including the upcoming 1.6-litre Multijet diesel engine, which is set to debut in the Linea in 2014. Will Maruti Suzuki bring in a diesel Grand Vitara is still unknown, although the UK market has got the SUV with a 1.9-litre Multijet diesel engine recently.
