Unfortunately, they weren’t really sure whether such type of product will succeed in the market. So they decided to play it safe by bringing it in CBU form which means the whole car is made in Japan and loaded on a ship which then comes to India and the car is delivered to the customer.

However, the distinct disadvantage of bringing the car in a CBU form is that the taxes jack up the prices. So Kizashi, whose top model in the US market will set you back by USD 25,000 (around 12-13 lakhs) landed in India with a price tag of 17-18 lakh rupees.

The result was that people started comparing it with other cars that cost the same money such as the Honda Accord and Skoda Superb. Maruti Suzuki aggressively tried to shape the image of the Kizashi as a ‘driver oriented’ car.

However, because of its price, people believed that it was a D segment car which is the chauffeur driven segment and the whole marketing campaign failed. The Kizashi repeated the history of the Grand Vitara and the sales figures came tumbling down. Here are the sales figures of Kizashi since its launch:

Kizashi Sales Figures

Not really Impressive are they?

But what if Maruti Suzuki would have decided to manufacture the Kizashi in India and thus putting it into the right segment and made it compete with Chevrolet Cruze, Skoda Laura, Honda Civic and VW Jetta.

If you remove price out of the equation, the product as such is pretty brilliant. You get oodles of power from a 2.4L petrol engine – 185 bhp to be precise and 230 Nm of torque.

The car looks brilliant, the fit and finish is excellent and internationally it is available in both manual and automatic variants. Moreover, the cheapest Kizashi in the US will be set you back by USD 20,000 which is around 10 lakhs. I am sure Maruti can manufacture it in India and sell it at 12-14 lakhs.

Yes, it doesn’t have a diesel engine (even internationally) but remember Suzuki has partnered with VW and the Germans have perfected their diesel mills which can be dropped in the Kizashi. Wouldn’t that make it a tempting proposition?

So did Maruti Suzuki really missed the opportunity of launching a successful product in the D segment?

Venkat is an avid follower of Indian Autos Blog. His garage boasts of a variety of wheels and he’s clearly not happy with Maruti Suzuki Kizashi’s pricing strategy.

Maruti Suzuki has launched its much awaited Kizashi in India. Good news? Well surely for Maruti but for customers it certainly isn’t.

Kizashi is an aspirational launch from Maruti Suzuki in more than one way. In all their existence, they were known as a ‘Small Car Maker/Player’. They have had few products beyond 10 lakh rupees.

So what on earth were they thinking while sanctioning Kizashi to sit above the Cruze/Civic/Corolla territory?

Considering the D-segment, Skoda’s Superb is at its supreme best as it has the comfort of the diesel engine which one way or the other, has made it a segment leader. Cruze has been playing spoil sport with the help of a punchy diesel motor, pushing down sales of Laura and Civic. Toyota realized early that the popularity of diesel has spread beyond the C and B-Segment cars and equipped the Altis with one.

The result has been very good, with the diesel Corolla overtaking sales of the petrol and looking good to maintain its position for the whole of 2011.

Having the Maruti tag, the SX4 was expected to turn Maruti Suzuki dealerships into malls, but sales have been declining steadily. The primary reason for this drop in interest is the absence of a diesel heart.

Today the price difference between petrol and diesel is so wide that it diesel cars are becoming the norm and making increasing sense by the day.

Honda’s low-selling CR-V has a petrol heart, but it did well in comparison to the almost forgotten Grand Vitara as Honda is known for quality and customers never seem to have taken Maruti as a big car maker.

So, shouldn’t the strategy have been working in segments which are familiar to Maruti Suzuki instead of diving into unknown waters and being prone to heavy and unwanted criticism if failure is its destiny?

Maruti is perceived as being a value for money company. But the Kizashi, which isn’t as comfortable as the Accord nor as attractive as the Cruze or Corolla, is the black sheep in Maruti’s portfolio.

Companies learn from mistakes, we agree. The SX4 should have given enough acumen to Maruti while planning for the Kizashi. Entering into India through CBU route, Kizashi attracts high import duties and that puts the brakes on the value-for-money factor.

One wonders if Maruti Suzuki is playing with fire deliberately.

Suzuki Kizashi Image Gallery

Maruti Suzuki says it has nine million customers and the Kizashi can be their existing customer’s upgrade. The unfortunate truth is, forget this 19 lakh Maruti or the 20+ lakh Grand Vitara, not many want to have anything to do with the SX4 sedan which costs around 8 lakh rupees. The natural graduation of someone who owns an Alto, is a better hatchback like the Swift. Someone who owns a 6 lakh rupee Dzire, need not look beyond the SX4 as their next car.

But sadly this common-sense formula has backfired for the company. Many Maruti Suzuki hatchback and Dzire owners end up buying VW Vento, Honda City, Ford Fiesta and even the cosmetically controversial Verna saloon. SX4 sales haven’t been impressive. Have a look at the recent performance

Maruti Suzuki SX4 recent sales

December 2010 – 764 units

November 2010 – 1,305 units

October 2010 – 1,977 units

September 2010 – 1,965 units

August 2010 – 2,048 units

Maruti is planning to give the SX4 a diesel heart and price it aggressively, but that won’t mean customers will stop buying other cars.

The competition is about to step up another level by offering products with larger engines and updated styling. The Euro Ford Fiesta sedan, Nissan Sunny and the Hyundai Verna RB are brand new vehicles and will blow away the 1.3-liter engine SX4 that claims it’s a man’s car. All three cars are going to have 1.6-liter engines.

All three will have internationally relevant style and attitude. All three are going to have well appointed interiors and more equipment. Both Hyundai and Ford enjoy a better brand value and if priced aggressively, the Sunny stands a good chance to find many buyers.

Coming back to the Kizashi, life is about to get a little rough in this segment too. Volkswagen, we are told, is gearing up to launch the new Jetta in the course of 2011, while the Accord facelift steps in this month. Nissan could begin assembling the Teana this year at Chennai leading to a significant price slash.

Hyundai is also working on the stylish Sonata YF which is a better car overall. Action will happen at the higher segment as well. Volkswagen is launching the new Passat this year and the remaining players will add variants and minor details to their existing models to refresh them.

Maruti, instead of trying ambitious launches and challenging the might of the Germans and Japanese, should restrict its game to 10 under lakh rupees. The segments which still have no answers in India are the mini SUV and diesel-powered city hatch segments.

Maruti’s chance of higher success lies in bringing a Gypsy revival or working out a diesel engine plan for the Wagon R or Zen Estilo. It can also focus on developing a model that will sit under the Alto, a game which it knows way too well.

Our question

How many Kizashis will Suzuki manage? Will they be able to push 100 cars off the shelf in the whole of 2011? Will you pay close to 20 lakh for a Maruti Suzuki that’s considered the aam admi’s automobile manufacturer?

Maruti Suzuki Kizashi Image Gallery

The Kizashi is available in black, silver and white in India. For delivery, a waiting period of 8 weeks from the time of booking is present, according to reports.

The Kizashi can be booked by depositing an amount of Rs 50,000/- now. Vehicle deliveries will begin in March 2011

Maruti Suzuki Kizashi Technical Specifications

can’t see the spec sheet above? Head over to issuu to see it there

Maruti Suzuki Kizashi preliminary launch images

Maruti Suzuki Kizashi official information

Maruti Suzuki unveils its luxurious sporty sedan Kizashi
New Delhi, February 02, 2010
Marks the company’s entry in the premium luxury sedan segment Luxurious exteriors and interiors
High performing 2.4 litre engine for active and sporty performance
Bookings begin at Rs 50,000/- now; Deliveries begin in March 2011

Maruti Suzuki India Limited, the country’s largest car manufacturer today unveiled it’s much awaited luxurious and sporty sedan, ‘Kizashi’. Kizashi is the company’s first offering in the upper end of the Indian car market.

Kizashi offers an excellent packaging of feature rich luxury, style and sporty performance. It is manufactured at Suzuki Motor Corporation’s Sagara plant in Japan and will be imported into India as a Completely Built-up Unit (CBU). After its launch in Japan in late 2009, the Kizashi was introduced in the US.

Kizashi will be available in India in two variants: Manual Transmission (MT) and Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT).

At the launch, Shinzo Nakanishi, Managing Director and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India said, “The Kizashi is a major step forward for Maruti Suzuki. With the launch of this luxurious sporty sedan, Maruti Suzuki is able to offer an international car to top-end customers in India. I am delighted to note that most previews by auto experts here have been positive, appreciating the Kizashi’s stylish looks, sporty performance and luxurious feel. We are fully geared to delight customers in a segment where we have been absent so far.”

Kizashi delivers a sporty performance thanks to its powerful engine. The agility and performance is well complemented with a sporty look and profile of the Kizashi. With the array of top-end features Kizashi compares well with the premium luxury sedans in higher segments.

The imposing front grille, compact and sleek exteriors coupled with exclusive interiors makes Kizashi stand tall among competing brands. The Kizashi aptly reflects the sporty DNA of Suzuki Motor Corporation in the styling and performance.

The Kizashi is powered by the celebrated 2.4 litre DOHC J–Series engine that ensures potent performance (maximum output: 178 PS @ 6,500rpm and a maximum torque: 230Nm @ 4,000rpm) while offering excellent fuel efficiency of 12.53 Kmpl (CVT) and 12.45 Kmpl (6-speed MT).

Suzuki Kizashi Safety Features

• Recipient of five star rating in US NCAP crash tests.
• 6 Air bags (Driver & Co-driver, 2- Front Side, 2-curtain)
• *ESP® :Electronic Stability Program with traction control
• ABS with EBD
• Projector Headlamp
• Hill Hold Control (HHC) in CVT variant
• ISO fix child seat anchorage
• *ESP® is a registered trademark of Daimler AG.

Suzuki Kizashi Comfort & Convenience

• 10-way power seat for driver with 3-position memory
• 4-way power seat for Co-driver
• Smart key entry & advanced keyless push start system
• Paddle shift in CVT variant
• Tilt & Telescopic steering wheel adjustment
• Multi-functional steering wheel with Audio Control and Cruise Control switches
• CD/MP3/USB Audio system
• One touch Up/Down front power windows with Anti-pinch function
• Sunvisor with Illuminated vanity mirror
• Glove box with illumination
• Electrically adjustable and retractable ORVM

The Kizashi will be available in ‘Snow White Pearl’, ‘Super Black Pearl’ and ‘Premium Silver Metallic’ colors.

The Kizashi will give customers a choice of Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT), which further promotes fuel economy along with a superior driving experience. The 6-speed Manual Transmission (MT) is tuned for the true driving enthusiast to give a taste of Suzuki Motor Corporation’s high technological competence.

Rigourous endurance testing for all terrains:

The performance and handling of the Kizashi shall reflect the benefits of testing and tuning conducted in diverse conditions around the world. Kizashi has been tested in some of the most extreme conditions, like cold-weather trials in Minnesota and hot-weather trials in Death Valley, USA. Kizashi’s handling has been honed on challenging country roads in the United Kingdom and on autobahns in Nürburgring, Germany.

Kizashi has been developed with special emphasis on combination of sportiness and elegance in its design, smoothness and quietness befitting a vehicle in this class and superior engine performance and fuel efficiency.

Kizashi is, indeed, a true sign of a great thing to come !

Kizashi can be booked with an initial deposit of Rs 50,000/- at any Maruti Suzuki Dealers immediately. Deliveries for Kizashi will begin in March 2011.

Suzuki Kizashi Introductory Prices

Model – City – Ex Showroom (Rs)
Kizashi – 6-speed Manual transmission (MT) – New Delhi – 16.5 Lakh
Kizashi – Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) – New Delhi – 17.5 Lakh

Expected to be be priced between 17-20 lakh rupees, it will use the Grand Vitara’s 2.4-liter petrol engine mated to an automatic or manual transmission. On an ambitious journey to impress rich customers, variants of the Honda Accord, Skoda Superb, VW Jetta and the likes will stand in its way.

Available in black, silver and white and it will take up to 8 weeks for your Kizashi to be delivered from the time of booking.

Maruti Suzuki India Managing Executive Officer (Marketing & Sales) Mayank Pareek -

This (Kizashi) is our attempt to be future ready, as we believe the A4 and A5 segment (luxury) is going to grow. It is small at the moment but the way the economy is growing, this segment is going to be big. In another 5-7 years time, this volume is going to be big and to sustain our leadership position in the market we are looking at this segment seriously. There are nine million Maruti Suzuki customers at present. Many of them want to move up and have been asking after the SX4, what next? What we are doing here is to provide them options in luxury segment.

The company will observe the demand for the Kizashi and then ponder over the idea of assembling it locally. There was no time frame mentioned, but if the response is good, expect it to roll out of Manesar or Gurgaon.

We have no doubts that initially there will be a good number of takers for the Kizashi, but will that dream period prolong to an extent that local assembly is justified? Maruti is struggling to sell the SX4 in India, the need of the hour is a diesel engine to eat into Verna, Fiesta and Vento’s numbers. How many Skoda, VW, Honda and Toyota customers are going to be interested in checking out the Kizashi?

Fast Fact – Indian Autos Blog’s first post on the Kizashi came on September 3, 2008.

Source – Mydigitalfc.com

CNBC TV-18 is reporting that Maruti Suzuki is set to launch its Kizashi luxury saloon into the Indian car market on the 28th of next month. The Kizashi is Suzuki’s first luxury saloon and will be Maruti Suzuki’s first ever offering in the entry level luxury saloon space.

The Kizashi will be launched with both manual and automatic transmission options, But there’s a twist. Contrary to earlier reports, Deccan Herald claims the Kizashi will not feature the 2.4-liter, inline-four, petrol powerplant pumping out 185 bhp of power and 230 Nm of torque.

It instead will be powered using a 2.0-liter petrol engine with slightly less power and torque.

Due to reasons of cost, the Indian Kizashi is most likely to be offered only in Front Wheel Drive (FWD) guise, unlike international markets where an All Wheel Drive (AWD) version is also offered. Maruti Suzuki could launch the AWD version of the Kizashi at a later date, to take on the mighty Skoda Superb 3.6 V6 AWD.

Considering the rivals (Skoda Superb, Honda Accord) awaiting the Kizashi once its launched, Maruti is considering pricing the Kizashi a bit aggressively in the 18-20 lakh price bracket, which will place the Kizashi smack bang in Skoda Superb territory. Such pricing could also give the Kizashi a leg up on its other rival, the Honda Accord.

But, will the weight of the Maruti brand rein in the Kizashi from setting sales charts on fire or will it propel it to the top of the leader board? Only time will tell.

Source – Deccan Herald

Autocar India Editor, Hormazd Sorabjee has revealed in a tweet on his twitter page that Maruti Suzuki is set to launch the Kizashi luxury saloon in January 2011, in the Indian car market.

The Kizashi is Suzuki’s flagship model internationally and is also the most expensive Suzuki product worldwide. The Kizashi will carry the distinction of being the most expensive Suzuki product in India as well.

The Kizashi will be powered by a 2.4 litre petrol engine pumping out 185 bhp and 230 Nm, of power and torque respectively. The car is available internationally in both manual and automatic options, but we will have to wait and watch as to which transmission option is launched in India and at this point, the automatic transmission is the anticipated one. The Kizashi is also available in an All Wheel Drive (AWD) variant internationally, but it is highly unlikely that this version will be launched in India.

The Kizashi will be brought in through the Completely Built Unit (CBU) route initially, but Maruti could consider local assembly from Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kits, if the sales volumes are good. The Kizashi could be priced between 17-24 lakh rupees.

It will also be interesting to see whether the Kizashi is badged as a Maruti Suzuki or simply Suzuki like Maruti Suzuki’s lone CBU offering, the Grand Vitara. The car may carry only the Suzuki badge as the Maruti badge is too closely associated with all the small car offerings from the Maruti Suzuki stable.

Maruti has started to roll its sleeves for the Kizashi launch. The manufacturer recently awarded the creative mandate to Dentsu Creative Impact.

Last month’s, all the advertising agencies like Lowe, Dentsu and Publicis Capital were called in to create a pitch for the Kizashi and Dentsu Creative Impact shined above all the rest. Interestingly, the media duties will be handled by Lintas Media Group.

Speaking on the occasion, Maruti Suzuki chief general manager – Marketing, Shashank Shrivastava said -

Dentsu has won the creative mandate for Maruti Kizashi while the media duties will be handled by Lintas Media Group. We are expecting the launch of Kizashi in March next. The account size cannot be determined right now.

It is very important for Maruti to choose its advertising partner correctly, as this will be company foray into the luxury car segment where it will have to go head to head with giants like Honda, Skoda and Toyota.

The advertising agency will have to carefully change the image of the company from a low cost, maintenance-free car manufacturer to a company that can also produce standard-setting aspirational vehicles.

The Kizashi is expected in India with a 2.4-liter petrol engine mated to a 6-speed AT. Paddle shifters are likely to feature.

Source – indiantelevision.com