Production of new-gen Maruti Wagon R to start in November - Report

08/09/2018 - 15:41 | Maruti Wagon R, Maruti Suzuki | Yatharth Chauhan

As per Team BHP, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) will commence production of the new-gen Wagon R in November. The official launch of the new model will reportedly conclude at the beginning of 2019.

Production of new-gen Maruti Wagon R to start in November - Report — The 2019 Maruti Wagon R will use the current engine and platform, albeit in thoroughly updated forms. MSIL may have to pass on the cost surge to customers from the BS6 upgrade and fitment of compulsory new safety features.

Codenamed 'YCA', the fourth generation Maruti Wagon R will not be based on the sixth generation model that was launched in Japan in February 2017. It will not use the lightweight HEARTECT platform that underpins the Baleno, Ignis, Swift, and Dzire to keep costs in check.

Instead, the company will use an updated version of the current Wagon R's frame, enabling it to meet crash safety norms for offset frontal and lateral impact. The revised platform will also allow the all-new model to comply with the new pedestrian protection safety norm that will come into effect from October 1, 2018. Airbags, seat belt reminders, speed alert systems, reverse parking sensors, and manual central locking override are now compulsory fitments on new cars.

The 2019 Maruti Wagon R will reportedly get an updated version of the current car's 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, K-Series engine that outputs a maximum power of 68 PS and a peak torque of 90 Nm. The reworked engine will comply with the BS6 emission norms that will come into effect from 1 April 2020. The current transmission options, which include a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 5-speed AMT, will be carried over to the next generation model.

2017 Suzuki Wagon R left side at 2017 Tokyo Motor Show — The Indian-spec new-gen Maruti Wagon R is not connected to the Japanese-spec model (pictured) that rides on the HEARTECT platform.

Also See: 2018 Maruti Ertiga spied testing ahead of H2 2018 launch

In August, IAB learnt that the company is unconvinced of launching a 7-seater MPV variant of the Wagon R, and that the project could be shelved. This is in contrast with various reports that speculated a September 2018 launch of the three-row variant.

Prices of the tallboy currently start at INR 4.15 lakhs while the top-end trim costs INR 5.39 lakhs. A noticeable change in prices are unavoidable as even the base variant (LXi) would have to get airbags and sensors to comply with government regulations, and Maruti may not be able to completely absorb the cost surge.

[News source - team-bhp.com]

[Image source- facebook.com]