Indian Autos blog

If there is one company who knows how and where to place their products perfectly, it’s definitely Maruti Suzuki. When you think there is no space left or no new product can merge into the existing portfolio, Maruti rises and comes out with the product, successfully.

Few months back when Ritz was to be introduced, everybody was speculating where it would be placed. Some said it would be placed between Wagon R & Swift and some said it would be placed above the Swift as an answer to i20 & Jazz.

To every one’s surprise Maruti launched it in the price bracket of Swift, again every body said it would cannibalize Swift sales and again Maruti proves everybody wrong.

70% of Swift sales account for Diesel and rest Petrol but when it comes to Ritz its other way round, 70% of its sales account for Petrol and rest Diesel.

Rather than Ritz cannibalizing Swift sales, it is conquering the market where Swift was doing less.

The reason for the same is introduction of brilliant K-Series Petrol engine in Ritz which is very frugal and because it’s a 1.2 ltr engine, the Ritz in turn also becomes applicable for excise benefits which further sweetens the deal it its favor.

If the Swift gets the same K-Series engine, will the line distinguishing the two products become thinner?

You never know. Maruti might have an answer to prove that is false too.

For now all I have to say is its Ritzing Swiftly…!

You can catch our Maruti Suzuki Ritz Special segment to learn the earlier developments and the car

Just hours ago, MSIL (Maruti Suzuki India Limited) launched the Suzuki Ritz (Splash elsewhere) in India in petrol and diesel variants. The Ritz is the seventh small car in Maruti’s portfolio, positioned in the A2 segment.

The Ritz will be available with two engines- you choose either the K-series 1.2 litre, four-cylinder, 85PS Petrol engine or the 1.3 litre, 16-valve DDiS, 75PS Diesel engine that Fiat and Tata customers are happy driving.

The diesel variants cost Rs 4.65 lakh and Rs 4.99 lakh, where as the three petrol variants cost between 3.90 lakh to Rs 4.80 lakh.

Petrol Versions –

Lxi – Rs.3,90,000/-
Vxi – Rs.4,20,000/-
Zxi – Rs.4.80,000/-

Diesel Versions –

Ldi – Rs.4,65,000/-
Vdi – Rs.4,99,000/-

(All prices Ex-Showroom Delhi)

Suzuki designed the Ritz on the Swift‘s platform, and the high degree of localization additionally helps bringing down the costs.

The company was able to achieve 85% localization for this car.

The Ritz is also India’s first BS IV compliant hatchback. Maruti’s spokesperson declined to comment on the number of cars they were targeting to sell due to the twisted market conditions, but assured it was equipped to meet any level of demand.

Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director and CEO Shinzo Nakanishi-

“Ritz is our parent Suzuki’s fifth global model and it will be the first Bharat Stage-IV emission norms compliant Indian car. We have launched it at the beginning of the fiscal and we hope it will bring excitement in the market”

We’ll update you when more information is available.

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Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, India’s largest car maker, unveiled an all-new BS-IV compliant K12M engine at its Gurgaon plant. The 1.2L all-aluminium engine is second in the K-series and is said to have technological superiority and higher fuel efficiency over the K10B engine that powers Maruti Suzuki’s A-Star.

The K12M engine has been specifically designed for Indian applications. Maruti Suzuki’s engineers worked as part of Suzuki’s Engine Design team for the design, calibration and testing of the engine in Japan and in India. It will be put to use in the new Ritz hatchback (a.k.a Splash) which is slated for launch in May ’09.

The Suzuki A-Star (sold globally as the Alto) and the Splash (which will be referred to as the Ritz in India) will get the Start-Stop technology in the interest of better fuel economy and fewer emissions and no doubt will cost higher than the standard counterparts.