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Old 19th March 2012, 16:59   #1
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The old Dzire is back, named 'DZire Tour'!

Source: The old Dzire is back as a cut price, no frills taxi variant called the 2012 Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire Tour | IndianCarsBikes.in

"Maruti Suzuki will relaunch the old Dzire sedan as a cut price, no frills taxi variant and this car model will be called the Maruti Swift Dzire Tour. This car will be available in both petrol and diesel engined variants. The petrol engine will be the same 1.2 Liter 80 Bhp K-series unit that powered the full size Dzire before it was taken off the market. The same goes with the 1.3 Liter, 75 Bhp Fiat Multijet turbodiesel engine."

"The big difference in the Taxi spec Dzire though will be in the looks department, where the car is expected to be toned down quite significantly. The Dzire Tour model will feature black bumpers, black wing mirrors, black door handles and steel wheels to make it look as uninspiring as possible. Maruti has deliberately done this in order to ensure that the car does not cannibalize sales of the all new Dzire compact sedan, which has already gone on to become a big seller in just the second month of its launch in the Indian car market. That said, the Dzire Tour model will feature air conditioning and power steering as standard piece of kit."

"2012 Maruti Suzuki Dzire Tour taxi spec variant is priced at INR 4.88 lakhs for the petrol variant and INR 5.91 lakhs for the diesel engined model."
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Old 19th March 2012, 17:04   #2
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Re: The old Dzire is back, named 'DZire Tour'!

Sales limited to only Taxi operators :( It would have been a great choice for those who are tight on budget. Thanks for sharing the news.
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Old 19th March 2012, 17:23   #3
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Re: The old Dzire is back, named 'DZire Tour'!

Quote:
Originally Posted by ani_meher View Post
It would have been a great choice for those who are tight on budget.
Did you mean to say that other than taxi fleet, no one can buy this?

Else, I guess people on a limited budget can still buy this, paint all those black bumpers, door handles & mirrors to match body color, add the aftermarket power windows! That should suffice a common man; but at the price of safety features. All these should be done with in 20 grands too!
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Old 19th March 2012, 17:28   #4
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Re: The old Dzire is back, named 'DZire Tour'!

From the article:

Now, even if you can live with the toned down looks, you need to be a taxi operator to buy one of these as Maruti Suzuki is said to be serious about selling the Dzire Tour only to taxi and fleet operators to prevent cannibalizing sales of the all new Dzire compact sedan. So, for folks who actually want a big booted entry level sedan with the Maruti badge on the bonnet will have no choice but to buy the SX4 or to look at other options in the market, namely the Toyota Etios, the Mahindra Verito, the Tata Manza and the Tata Indigo XL.

If this is followed and Maruti kept this sedan limited to strictly taxi registration, it is a great value opportunity lost for budget cautious customer.
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Old 19th March 2012, 17:33   #5
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Re: The old Dzire is back, named 'DZire Tour'!

Off late, I saw surge in Dzire taxis in many cities including Bangalore. Naturally, the new model with its compactness does not suit Taxi Operators.

I feel, this is strategic decision and toned down version (or VFM version) of Dzire will suit many of the Taxi Operators, as they have to spend less money and get good returns from a reliable car from reliable manufacturer. This could be real threat to Indigo/Verito which are current favourites of Taxi operators.
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Old 19th March 2012, 17:33   #6
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Re: The old Dzire is back, named 'DZire Tour'!

How can a manufacturer limit sales only to taxi operators? Is this possible at all?

I thought any car can be registered either in private or commercial and manufacturer cannot stop a buyer to register in one or the other name.

This news brings memories of me reading an interview of Honda senior leader where in he stated that we do not like the Taxi image of Honda cars unlike Toyota hence we avoid selling Honda cars to Taxi operators.

Last edited by mayankjha1806 : 19th March 2012 at 17:42.
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Old 19th March 2012, 19:09   #7
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Re: The old Dzire is back, named 'DZire Tour'!

Quote:
Originally Posted by mayankjha1806 View Post
How can a manufacturer limit sales only to taxi operators? Is this possible at all?

I thought any car can be registered either in private or commercial and manufacturer cannot stop a buyer to register in one or the other name.
Yes, It is possible, If Manufacturer company decides to do a contract with Commercial Vehicle fleet owner directly and then sells only that many number of cars to dealer. I am sure you know that most of the Taxi fleet Sales happen directly from the company but due to Dealer Company contract it still needs to be sold through dealers. Companies can easily control this type of sales.

Most of the time these taxi sales will happen at a price lower than normal consumer sales, so its not understandable why Company will not sell to end consumer. The only reason that come to my mind is Maruti is making more profit on Sub-4 metre new Swift dzire than 4.2 metre old dzire so it definitely wants to control whom it sells these cars. Also Fleet owners should get some kind of setoff on excise duty they have to pay on car purchase against service tax they have to pay to government so the price Taxi owners get should be totally different than what a normal customer pays.

Last edited by anu21v : 19th March 2012 at 19:14.
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Old 19th March 2012, 19:39   #8
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Re: The old Dzire is back, named 'DZire Tour'!

I still think that people can buy it for private usage. When I was inquiring about Etios J model, the dealer was casually asking me why I was so insisting on J model, whether I was running a taxi business.

And if not then I'm sure that people will ask a local taxi stand to order a Dzire Tour for them for a small fee. And I don't mean a small number of people, mind you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by anujmishra View Post
Naturally, the new model with its compactness does not suit Taxi Operators.
I actually saw a taxi compact Dzire! I was too shocked to see it that I could not click a pic. And yes, I've seen taxi new Swift too. God knows why they were bought as taxis!
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Old 19th March 2012, 20:00   #9
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Re: The old Dzire is back, named 'DZire Tour'!

Quote:
Originally Posted by DevilsCry View Post
I still think that people can buy it for private usage. When I was inquiring about Etios J model, the dealer was casually asking me why I was so insisting on J model, whether I was running a taxi business.

And if not then I'm sure that people will ask a local taxi stand to order a Dzire Tour for them for a small fee. And I don't mean a small number of people, mind you.


I actually saw a taxi compact Dzire! I was too shocked to see it that I could not click a pic. And yes, I've seen taxi new Swift too. God knows why they were bought as taxis!
Theoretically it should be possible to buy the old Dzire for private use. It is not obligatory that the showroom has to register your vehicle. I guess what the dealers will do though is refuse to sell you the vehicle if you do not show them your taxi company or fleet vehicle papers.

It is a real shame that Maruti is resorting to this. They are doing this with the intention of clearly demarcating their clients, but the danger is that people who want a car as big as the old Dzire but are unable or unwilling to pay for the SX4 will wind up going to competitors
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Old 19th March 2012, 20:57   #10
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Re: The old Dzire is back, named 'DZire Tour'!

Quote:
Originally Posted by pganapathy View Post
It is a real shame that Maruti is resorting to this. They are doing this with the intention of clearly demarcating their clients, but the danger is that people who want a car as big as the old Dzire but are unable or unwilling to pay for the SX4 will wind up going to competitors
My thoughts exactly. The 310 litre boot of new Dzire is just a wee bit bigger than the hatchback. The old Dzire boot was considerably bigger and useful, and people who want that now, have to go for SX4 which not everyone likes - the tall squat stance isn't very attractive. MSIL could just end up losing customers to rivals.
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Old 19th March 2012, 22:02   #11
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Re: The old Dzire is back, named 'DZire Tour'!

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Last edited by GTO : 20th March 2012 at 19:58.
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Old 19th March 2012, 22:37   #12
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Re: The old Dzire is back, named 'DZire Tour'!

Quote:
Originally Posted by anujmishra View Post
Off late, I saw surge in Dzire taxis in many cities including Bangalore.
I will be seriously amused to see "who" chooses Dzire taxis to go long distances in the rear seat! It just bounces over rough patches and have a NOT so good rear space. The comfort levels are pretty average compared to Logan or a Manza! I would any day prefer a Indica / Indigo over a Dzire taxi just for the comfort & space those offer!
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Old 19th March 2012, 22:43   #13
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All this would do is spike up the sales of the Verito, which for a lot of people is the best barebones diesel sedan on all counts.
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Old 19th March 2012, 22:57   #14
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Re: The old Dzire is back, named 'DZire Tour'!

I would have liked Maruti to come up with entirely new brand name instead of sticking to 'dzire'.
'Dzire' over the years has build up the reputation of being a dependable entry level family sedan. So its association with commercial market might backfire.
Swift dzire and dzire tour. Bit confusing.

Btw 80 bhp Kseries? Did they detune the engine?
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Old 20th March 2012, 00:39   #15
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Re: The old Dzire is back, named 'DZire Tour'!

I think this is a really great move by Maruti Suzuki. In our market where a car having tasted success never retires, the old DZire is capable enough to cater to the taxi segment especially with its larger boot (than the current one), frugal engines especially the diesel and cheap spares and services. I have always found the backseat of a Swift/ DZire quite comfortable due to the slightly wider bench which gives decent under thigh support. Legroom maybe limited and so would the claustrophobia on the backseat but 90% of the taxi drivers keep the front seats right in the front leaving good enough room for the rear passengers to spread their legs.

The new one does feel slightly upmarket and stylish when you compare it to the bland older model. This will clearly give Maruti Suzuki the justification to charge a slight premium on the new car over the old one, clearly distinguishing the private variant from the taxi one. Even from the buyer's perspective, a private owner never likes to see a yellow plated vehicle similar to theirs' (atleast I don't).

However, I am sure many private buyers too will want to own a 'dicky wali gaadi' with basic features like air-conditioning and a power steering and we might just see the DZire Tour variant cannibalising the sale of the new DZire ldi and lxi variant. Other than that, smart thinking Maruti.
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