India's largest automaker, Maruti Suzuki, has announced free warranty for five years or 1 lakh km for new customers of the diesel-powered Dzire, Swift, Vitara Brezza and S-Cross. This move clearly hints that the company wants to clear as much diesel vehicle stock as possible during the upcoming festival season.
The slowdown in the sales of diesel cars was experienced soon after Maruti announced that it will be pulling the plugs on diesel engines by 1 April 2020 when the stricter BS-VI norms come into effect. The company's diesel vehicle sales stumbled at 22% of the overall sales, down from last year's 28%.
The extended 5-year or 1-lakh kilometres warranty will help the company to regain momentum in diesel sales. This warranty covers a slew of parts and their replacements such as the high-pressure pump, compressor, Electronic Control Module (ECM), turbocharger assembly, critical engine and transmission parts to name a few. Also, steering assembly and suspension struts are also covered in the plan. The company says that these benefits will be provided to the customers with no additional costs.
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Commenting on this announcement, Mr Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director (Marketing & Sales), Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, “Dzire, S-Cross, Swift and Vitara Brezza are our flagship products, which played a pivotal role in transforming not just Maruti Suzuki but the Indian automotive industry itself. As a small gesture of our gratitude to the admirers and prospective buyers, we are offering a free 5-year, 1-lakh km warranty on the entire diesel line up of these models to ensure a worry free ownership experience.”
