On the sidelines of the launch of the Maruti Ertiga in Chennai, Mr Shashank Srivastava, Chief General Manager (Marketing) Maruti Suzuki, spoke to IndianAutosBlog.com on the future of the Ritz. He declined to comment on the launch plan for the Ritz but explained how refreshing products continuously is the way to keep competition at bay.
[Left - Speculative rendering of the Ritz facelift with reworked grille and triangular foglight enclosures]
We asked Mr Srivastava his thoughts on lending a cosmetic refreshment to the Ritz and upgrading the 1.2-liter K Series engine with VVT technology now found on the Swift and Dzire models to make it a worthy alternative to customers who may be put off by the long waiting periods of the Swift.
The marketshare of the country’s largest car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki is under constant threat from the enlarging number of vehicles the competition is flocking India with. Working hard to stay in the top position, the company is upgrading its products, adding new features, boosting fuel economy and balancing the price to keep the interest alive in them.
Step 1 of this goal to retain marketshare is to introduce new generation cars. Step 2 is to stimulate older products, exactly the plan MSIL has in mind for the Ritz. After being spied testing in Gurgaon by our friends at Gaadi.com, we now have our in-house rendering man Shoeb Kalania using the evidence to present a mock-up of the outcome.
Our friends at Gaadi.com have snapped a a full video of the camouflaged Ritz that is currently while it was peacefully testing in Gurgaon. Expected changes include:
New wide grill, re-designed bonnet and fog lamp housings
Minor changes to the headlamps
VVT technology on the KB12 motor of the Ritz
An interior upgrade with new colors or perhaps a mildly reworked central console
4-speed automatic from the Dzire?
The new Ritz is likely to touch down before the festival season and serve as the immediate alternative to the high-demand Swift.
Maruti Suzuki is definitely facing stiff competition from new entrants in the market. In recent years, the company is steadily losing grip on the market although not on an alarming scale.
In a bid to keep the customers walking towards showrooms, the company has started facelifting many of its existing models. Recently, the company took the wraps of a mildly revised A-Star.
Yesterday, Maruti Suzuki India, India’s largest auto manufacturer, announced that it will recall 13,157 diesel variants of Swift, Swift Dzire and Ritz, made between November 13 and December 4, 2010, to replace a faulty engine part.
This suspected faulty part is the Connecting Rod Bolt. Maruti believes that only one specific batch of rod nuts was defective and hence all the cars may not need a replacement. Nonetheless, the defective nuts will be replaced free of cost.
This is Maruti’s third major recall in the past one year. The first one was for A-star in February 2010 and the second one being Alto in April 2010.
Mr Mayank Pareek Managing Executive Officer, Marketing and Sales, defended the situation by saying,
We have robust production processes conforming to global standards and there is no possibility of any deviation in quality in our cars. It is a proactive measure from our side and customers should be informed.
The dealers will contact the car owners directly. But if you suspect that your car was also purchased after the specific time frame, you can check the website www.marutisuzuki.com to ascertain if your car also needs a replacement. You will need the engine number that is embossed on vehicle ID plate. Alternatively, you can contact your nearest dealer.
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Our friends at Maruti Suzuki sent us this TV commercial that will hit the small screens starting tomorrow.
According to Maruti Suzuki –
The TV Ad aims to celebrate the unique moments each Ritz owner has had in his car. Over 1 lakh Ritz models have been sold across the country and each owner has multiple memories attached to his car.
On the sidelines of the launch of the Maruti Ertiga in Chennai, Mr Shashank Srivastava, Chief General Manager (Marketing) Maruti Suzuki, spoke to IndianAutosBlog.com on the future of the Ritz. He declined to comment on the launch plan for the Ritz but explained how refreshing products continuously is the way to keep competition at bay.
