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Old 29th October 2008, 15:01   #16
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i definitely like the looks. powered by a 2.0L diesel engine at least should be a decent buy.
but before anything maruti should do something about its quality standards. they cant mess up with little things that can annoy customers at times. have to provide good solid quality.
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Old 29th October 2008, 16:11   #17
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high boot lid and rear bumper design reminds me of the Dzire, while the front bumper design, grille and headlamp shape brings to mind the SX4. I can also see that the rear door is considerably smaller than the front door. Any reasons why?
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Old 29th October 2008, 17:13   #18
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Are we sure its going against the Camry. I mean, its hard to tell the size from the pics and would seem logical that they would step up to the Civic/Corolla class from the SX4.
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Old 29th October 2008, 18:22   #19
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This looks like SX4's big brother, certainly a tough sell in the Camry, Accord category, would fit better in the Civic, Altis range.

A bit too boxy and 'hollow' for my liking, doesn't have that 'solid' look, a bit bloated I feel. Nothing remarkable. However at least doesn't have the awkward stance of some cars in the C segment like City and SX4, looks like a proper sedan.
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Old 29th October 2008, 18:35   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by notjustshrawan View Post
high boot lid and rear bumper design reminds me of the Dzire, while the front bumper design, grille and headlamp shape brings to mind the SX4. I can also see that the rear door is considerably smaller than the front door. Any reasons why?
Absolutely. Now i know from where that ugly butt of the desire has come from. This cannot compete with the Accord or Camry. If MUL can price it around 10L, it will survive.
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Old 29th October 2008, 20:11   #21
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Originally Posted by vid6639 View Post
Can someone PS it to a single colour with all the graphics removed?
That is a request that I second too

Hope Maruti will redefine the D segment with this one the same way they redefined the C segment features and pricing with SX4
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Old 29th October 2008, 20:51   #22
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Looks to me like a bigger version of SX4
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Old 29th October 2008, 22:44   #23
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I am sure if Maruti can position and price it right, the car will sell. There is nothing like "Maruti is known for small cars, so they cant sell D segment ones". Thats an unintelligent statement to make.
I have no soft corner for the company because I own their product. Most premium car manufacturers started small. No prizes for guessing.

Maruti has to grow to untouched segments to build brand image. I am sure they can price their small cars like Honda in India if their image grows. This might just be a stepping stone in that direction.

They can always get SX4 and Swift users to upgrade to this car. And buyers will oblige to remain comfortable with people and products they have dealt with since their M800 days.

Last edited by mail4ajo : 29th October 2008 at 22:48.
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Old 30th October 2008, 02:49   #24
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Originally Posted by mail4ajo View Post
No reason why it cant pull in India. If the Koreans can sell Sonata, why not this? My serious suggestion would be "not to produce this car in India, get it as a SKD or CBU like Vitara" Makes it a better buy for the exclusive factor.
Do you know the sales figures of the Sonata over the past few years despite having a 13-odd lac rupees car with a CRDi engine??

I'm guessing no since if you did, you would not make the above statement. It's true they sell the Sonata here (also the Tucson) but what is more important is, how many do they manage to sell??

Quote:
Originally Posted by mail4ajo View Post
I am sure if Maruti can position and price it right, the car will sell. There is nothing like "Maruti is known for small cars, so they cant sell D segment ones". Thats an unintelligent statement to make.
Well look at what has happened to the Vitara (twice) and the Baleno. Yes, the SX4 sold well but still could not achieve the numbers that the NHC was doing despite being cheaper than the Honda.

I agree the above statement in incorrect but you have to factor in that when buying an expensive car (IMO any car above 8-10L is expensive in India) the badge also matters to most consumers. And that is what puts companies like Maruti & Hyundai on the back foot in premium segments. They might have an excellent product but at that level the customer is looking as much as the product as the brand image since he would also like to show off to the Sharmaji next door about his new 'premium' car!
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Old 30th October 2008, 02:49   #25
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Well they already have a GV in that 16 L pricerange, so nothing new.
How is the GV stacking up against the CRV etc saleswise.
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Old 30th October 2008, 03:14   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iraghava View Post
And that is what puts companies like Maruti & Hyundai on the back foot in premium segments. They might have an excellent product but at that level the customer is looking as much as the product as the brand image since he would also like to show off to the Sharmaji next door about his new 'premium' car!
exactly!

Importing and selling a car is not a cheap business as you need to upgrade your A.S.S. and for what? 4 cars a month [one in each metro]

Last edited by SLK : 30th October 2008 at 03:15.
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Old 30th October 2008, 04:37   #27
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Originally Posted by Mpower View Post
Well they already have a GV in that 16 L pricerange, so nothing new.
How is the GV stacking up against the CRV etc saleswise.
Month on Month (CRV - GV)

Apr: 272 - 37
May: 273 - 63
Jun: 294 - 24
Jul: 331 - 27
Aug: 129 - 24
Sep: 127 - 19

So clearly beaten 1426 - 194.
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Old 30th October 2008, 07:04   #28
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What does it take to build reputation in India?

Quote:
Originally Posted by thiyags22 View Post
Will Suzuki known for it's small cars, be able to pull customers from Toyota, Honda and others for this car? Really not sure.

Thiyags
Maruti's after-sales service is legendary. Their customer service has satisfied an ocean of Indian customers, and continues to do so.

Maruti and its dealers have invested their time and effort to build that reputation. Money cannot buy reputation.

To dominate India like that, Honda and Toyota have to exist decades in India and weather hundreds of crores of India passenger-kilometres!

Quote:
Originally Posted by fx45 View Post
nice pics.. looks like grown up SX 4.

I am sure this is going to be a big hit if launched on time and priced properly in the Civic-Corolla Segment.
The SX4 is a mutilated crossover SUV, not an executive sedan.
The Kizashi at least seems to have a proper front door and front window.

The Swift Dezire is a trunk clumsily grafted onto an economy hatchback.
The result is an underpowered, badly weight-distributed modification, that fails to perform with a payload of four heavy adults plus luggage.

The Baleno and Esteem sedans (actually even the old Zen) haven't really been replaced with capable successors yet! Maruti's current cars are ugly ducklings that don't quite fit. So with their legendary A.S.S. reputation, Maruti-Suzuki only need a conformist, no nonsense world-class car to once again dominate the Indian viewscape.
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Old 30th October 2008, 08:32   #29
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It a bit butch styling for that segment but not distasteful (close enough though IMO). Needs a little more stretch for the limo appearance and may be rear-quarterglass would have helped cheering up the side profile.

The alloys are a bit mafiaso. Hope they wouldn't be OEM fitment.

BH.

p.s.: Do you think the Dzire's boot was inspired by this one's?
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Old 30th October 2008, 08:37   #30
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Maruti cannot succeed in the 10+ lakh category, the brand is perceived to having a cheaper tag!
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