Maruti Suzuki, the largest car manufacturer in India, has announced a price hike across its entire model lineup. The company says that the price increase is “owing to increase in commodity and distribution costs and adverse foreign exchange rates.” With this, all Maruti cars have become costlier by up to INR 6,100.
It may be noted here that most of the Maruti Suzuki cars are heavily localized. However, the increase in prices is owing to the rise in the cost of raw materials and the Indian rupee getting weaker against the US dollar. Currently, the Indian rupee is at an all-time low of 70.30 to a dollar. A weakening currency leads to a rise in the import costs of the materials. The very popular Maruti Vitara Brezza sub-4-metre compact SUV is said to have received the biggest increment in the prices. It's noteworthy that the Vitara Brezza, which is a diesel-only model, is the highest selling car in its segment. It rivals the likes of Tata Nexon and Ford EcoSport.
Maruti Suzuki sells its new models through two retail chains. It sells Alto 800, Alto K10, Wagon R, Celerio, Celerio X, Swift, Dzire, Vitara Brezza, Ertiga, Gypsy, Omni, and Eeco through its Arena dealerships. The S-Cross, Baleno, Ignis, and Ciaz are sold through the NEXA outlets.
Also Read: 2018 Maruti Ciaz will feature Speed Alert System
Following the price hike, the next update expected from Maruti Suzuki is the launch of the facelifted Ciaz on August 20, 2018. The new model will carry a handful of styling changes, additional features, and a new petrol engine with SHVS micro-hybrid technology. The company also plans to launch the all-new WagonR and the all-new Ertiga later this year.
