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.
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.
We are not bored of the Suzuki Kizashi, not yet.
The D-Segment model billed as the Cruze to Camry challenger will attract eyeballs once it reaches roads, regardless of the latitude and longitude.
The Kizashi sedan will reach destination India by 2011, by then people would have given up on the existing line of cars which fall on the other side of 10 lakh rupees.
Spied near Arizona, this is a production car which we infer by the lack of any major camouflage or ill-fitting components. The interiors are of quality unseen in Suzuki‘s products. The centre console imitates the front-end design and is made of high quality materials.
click through for the spy shots
Is this the best form of advertising by a company which will release it’s first up-market car in a short while? Is this a large-scale example of utter confusion and chaos? Or is this is a neat display to show a company’s decision making skills is as efficient as a 5-year old’s. Welcome everyone, to Suzuki, or what we Indians affectionately refer to as Maruti Suzuki.
