Maruti Suzuki has launched the Kizashi at Rs 16.50 lakh (manual) and Rs 17.50 lakh (automatic) in Delhi. The Kizashi is powered by a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder petrol engine producing 178PS power and 230Nm torque. 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 [ Read More ]
Maruti India is finally set to shift its focus from entry level hatchbacks and saloons to more premium cars. Maruti tried to capture this segment earlier as well with the Vitara but failed miserably.
Now, it is all set to launch the new Kizashi in the Indian market by year end.
Maruti Suzuki, always considered an expert in the small car with 7 offerings in the segment, will have to change its image for their premium offering – the Kizashi.
Priced around Rs 17 lakh – Rs 24 lakh, the new car will go head to head with Honda Accord, the Toyota Camry and the Skoda Superb with a 2.4-liter petrol engine.
A Maruti Suzuki official -
We will get the confidence to make the sedan here only when we generate adequate sales volumes from the CBUs and CKDs. We do have a plan, but there is a long time to it
But initially the Kizashi will be brought to Indian shores in the form of a CBU which means the base price is already pushed up by more than 100 per cent (including countervailing duties, education cess and other levies).
If it generates adequate sales volumes, the strategy is to shift from CBU to CKD. But CKDs will also attract a 60% duty. The rising yen cost is providing no relief either.
In order to counter these factors the company has a long term plan to manufacture Kizashi in India in its Manesar plant.
Carwale reports Maruti will introduce the Suzuki Kizashi in India this year. The vehicle, according to Carwale, will reach Maruti dealerships by the close of 2010.
The Kizashi was on display at the Auto Expo 2010 in New Delhi. It generated good response among show goers for its styling, interiors and build quality.
Suzuki has launched four sedans till now, the Esteem, the Baleno, the SX4 and the Swift Dzire. The Kizashi will be its fifth. The Baleno wasn’t received well by Indian customers and the Esteem was replaced by the Swift Dzire less than three years ago.
The Kizashi coming to India in all likelihood will sport the 2.4-litre petrol engine that makes about 185 bhp. Maruti could introduce the six-speed manual first and later on could bring the A/T model.
Will the Kizashi compete with the likes of the Skoda Laura, Volkswagen Jetta, Honda Civic? Or will it be positioned higher up to take on the likes of the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and the Skoda Superb?
Are there enough buyers who will ignore the Camry, Superb or even the value the Accord offers and end up driving home a Kizashi?
The car we’ve been waiting for all year is out in the open! Suzuki has released an exhaustive press release and set of images that will sweep you off the ground. Welcome everyone, to what would be the most beautiful car you could buy for under twenty lakh rupees – the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi
Did you know? We have been tracking the footsteps of the Kizashi since we started blogging last year.
To start with, the Nurburgring-honed Suzuki Kizashi will come with a 2.4-liter DOHC inline four-cylinder engine that is coupled to a CVT or a six-speed manual transmission, which would the preffered car for Indian customers when it comes here next year.
The Kizashi stands on gorgeous 18 inchers, comes with standard eight airbags, ABS, EBD and ESP.
Now that the Kizashi is launched in the U.S, all we want to know is when it would come to India. Is it going to steal the thunder at the Auto Expo 2010?
click past the break for images and press release
A few months ago, we brought you spy pictures of the upcoming Suzuki Kizashi testing in the U.S, which you can view here. It looks like the Suzuki Kizashi could well be the next vehicle from Maruti after the upcoming A-Star and the Splash in India. Maruti is taking bold decisions after the immense success of its latest models-The Swift and the SX4. We expect the A-Star and the Splash [ Read More ]
