In a bid to increase their market share, Maruti Suzuki is planning to launch the DZire facelift in February and the Swift diesel AMT in November this year.
Maruti Suzuki had begun introducing new and updated products since 2014 after a long period of lull. With the increasing market share of Hyundai and new lucrative segments emerging, the carmaker is preparing to launch some crucial products amongst new ones to be in the game. After getting a positive response for the AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) with the Celerio, Maruti launched the updated Alto K10 last year with the AMT option. Now, Maruti plans to launch the Swift with an AMT gearbox later this year, that too with the diesel variants.
The Maruti Swift diesel AMT is expected to be a big volume spinner for the carmaker, as the demand for diesel automatics is surging nowadays. This combination is ideal for people seeking convenience of an automatic in slow moving traffic while keeping running costs in check. Under the hood will be the same 1.3-litre diesel engine producing 75 PS of power with 190 Nm of torque, mated to a 5-speed AMT gearbox. The Swift diesel already returns a claimed fuel efficiency of 25.2 km/l and with the addition of AMT, it is expected to return more mileage if not less.
The Maruti DZire facelift launch is scheduled to happen in February. The compact sedan will get minor exterior tweaks including new bumpers, chrome grille and redesigned alloys. On the inside, the DZire will get similar changes as the Swift facelift such as Bluetooth connectivity, keyless entry with push button engine start/stop, power folding mirrors and so on. The engine options will get carried over from the current model with slight retuning for increasing fuel efficiency. The DZire facelift will launch next month while the Swift diesel AMT is expected to hit the showrooms in November.
Source – Business-Standard.com