[kap04]

Maruti to drive in Kizashi to give rivals a tough ride- Automobiles-Auto-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times
Maruti to drive in Kizashi to give rivals a tough ride
17 Aug 2009, 0029 hrs IST, Chanchal Pal Chauhan, ET Bureau

NEW DELHI: Small car major Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) will compete with big car makers, such as Honda and Toyota, when it launches the sports luxury car Kizashi in India in 2010.

MSI’s parent, Suzuki Motor Corporation, has already launched this mid-sized sedan in the US. As per an auto industry executive, Kizashi, Suzuki’s first big car developed in-house, will be introduced in India in the 2010 Auto Expo. The car will be powered by a 2.4-litre Euro IV engine developed by Suzuki. A six-speed manual transmission will be standard in the car, while the automatic one-based on continuously variable transmission (CVT) technology will be optional and will have paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel (like those in Honda City and Toyota Corolla Altis).

In the past, Maruti has not been successful in launching premium-to-luxury cars in India. The Baleno sedan model could not excite the market while the flagship sedan SX4 launched in 2007 lost momentum after the initial pick up, while its competitor Honda City sedan has been holding on to its leadership position for the past decade.

Maruti’s premium cars have been rated low on quality and performance and could not compete with its other Japanese co-products, such as the Toyota Corolla and the Honda City. Maruti manages to sell only 600-700 SX4’s in the domestic market against 2,500-3,000 Honda City sold every month.

As per a company source, Kizashi, which was first unveiled in 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, is expected to be the first-all-wheel-drive luxury car in India in the Rs 10-13 lakh price bracket. Maruti will pitch it as a sports crossover — a vehicle that derives from a car platform while blends features from a sports utility vehicle — that will sport a large tyre size of a 21 inch wheel against Honda Civic’s 15 inch. It is expected to roll out from Maruti’s sprawling 500-acre Manesar facility.

The car, which is likely to be priced upwards of Rs 10 lakh, will compete with Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Sonata, SkodaAuto Octavia and Volkswagen Jetta. Maruti engineers have already started work on Kizashi and are likely to customise the luxury sedan for rugged Indian road conditions.

MSI refused to comment on the India debut of Kizashi and an email inquiry went unanswered. However, a person close to an executive working on the Kizashi project indicated that it will be Maruti’s most ambitious project in its 26-year history in India, now a key manufacturing hub for Suzuki Motors.

“The success of Swift and Dzire, which are leaders in terms of sales in their respective segments, shows Maruti’s designing skills and the ability to develop modern cars.

The success of these cars has given Maruti the confidence to venture in the fast-growing D-segment. The company is expanding its brand image from a mini car leader to one that offers a full-range of cars including luxury cars,” a source from the component industry working closely with the project said.

[shankar.balan]

its no matter that you say this is OT

this car is simply so good looking - if they launch it in INDIA with a 2 litre turbo diesel and 4WD at about 10+ lacs OTR, it will open up a whole new segment - a segment similar to the one that the Skoda Yeti is planning to tap into.

Originally Posted by TOR

Completely OT

The SX4 was developed on the Fiat Sedici

[avishar]

21 inch wheels??.Although 4WD is pretty novel in this segment and i guess thats maruti's party trick.

[shankar.balan]

this below concept SX4 hatch or Fiat Sedici might be better with 17-18 inch wheels (alloys) actually.

Originally Posted by avishar

21 inch wheels??.Although 4WD is pretty novel in this segment and i guess thats maruti's party trick.

[loving_alaap]

Maruti's quality is definitly not considered as good. And IMO in recent years, the quality further went down.

D segment is not that price sensitive, so Maruti's price game will not work here (maruti is undisputed king in such game in small cars)

So, unless, maruti applies true suzuki quality, this car will just go Grand Vitara way.

[SLK]

Originally Posted by loving_alaap

So, unless, maruti applies true suzuki quality, this car will just go Grand Vitara way.

Would that go to say, grand vitara is poor quality? Honestly I don't know! Just asking!

[Sahil]

21inch wheels in a crossover like the x6 seems fine but in a 10lakh car ?!?

It's just not feasible on our roads unless they manage a decent tyre profile size too, for which the wheel archs would have to be massive!

[Axe77]

I find too many facts in this ET article either wrong or difficult to believe. Illustrated a few below. Am I the only one who thinks so or do other people also share the same view?

Originally Posted by kap04

Maruti to drive in Kizashi to give rivals a tough ride
17 Aug 2009, 0029 hrs IST, Chanchal Pal Chauhan, ET Bureau

Originally Posted by kap04

while the automatic one-based on continuously variable transmission (CVT) technology will be optional and will have paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel (like those in Honda City and Toyota Corolla Altis).

Altis does not have paddle shift mounters.

Originally Posted by kap04

Maruti’s premium cars have been rated low on quality and performance and could not compete with its other Japanese co-products, such as the Toyota Corolla and the Honda City.

Strictly speaking, no Maruti product really competes with the Corolla (not even the stripped base executive version of the Corolla).

Originally Posted by kap04

As per a company source, Kizashi, which was first unveiled in 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, is expected to be the first-all-wheel-drive luxury car in India in the Rs 10-13 lakh price bracket.
....
The car, which is likely to be priced upwards of Rs 10 lakh, will compete with Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Sonata, SkodaAuto Octavia and Volkswagen Jetta.

Personally, I seriously doubt this pricing with a 2.4 ltr engine. The competitors are also varying largely. Among the above names, if the Jetta is mentioned, I would expect the Laura to be listed as opposed to the Octavia. I also expect the car to be priced higher than the Corolla - closer to Accord segment perhaps or at best squarely in between. Knowing its a Maruti, I won't be surprised if it signficantly undercuts the Accord even though the specs and size of vehicle appear to match the accord segment vehicles. The specifications of the vehicle appear to be aimed at the Accord segment unless they're really looking to shake the market with an Accord Spec car at literally Altis like money.

Originally Posted by kap04

Maruti will pitch it as a sports crossover — a vehicle that derives from a car platform while blends features from a sports utility vehicle — that will sport a large tyre size of a 21 inch wheel against Honda Civic’s 15 inch. It is expected to roll out from Maruti’s sprawling 500-acre Manesar facility.

21 inch wheels?? Again, I doubt this. May result in extremely low profile tyres if they do this.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the accuracy of the above?

[dr_know]

Some shots from LEFT LANE NEWS

All images Copyright leftlanenews.com

[theragingbull]

The design and interiors all look very contemporary and stylish! It's only the badge that will hinder the sales.

[brakehorsepower]

source:2010 Suzuki Kizashi: Full Technical Specs, Prices Start Under $20,000 top out at $24,000 - Carscoop

As we're getting closer to the launch date of Suzuki's new flagship sedan, the company decided to release technical specs and preliminary pricing on the Kizashi that will start under $20,000 when it goes on sale across the U.S. this December. Instead of positioning the Kizashi against mainstream offerings like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, Suzuki said that it aims to capture the attention of those buyers that would like to own but cannot afford more driver-orientated and sportier looking mid-size sedans such as the Acura TSX, VW Passat CC and BMW 3-Series.

Built at Suzuki's brand-new manufacturing facility in Sagara, Japan, the 2010 Kizashi will offer buyers only one engine option at launch, a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers 185 HP at 6,500 rpm and 170 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm with the six-speed manual transmission. When mated to the CVT, the 2.4 liter unit produces 178 HP at 6,000 rpm.

When coupled to a manual transmission, the front-wheel drive Kizashi sprints from standstill to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 7.5 seconds.

The sedan also offers buyers the option of all-wheel drive, which can be deactivated with a switch. Depending on the transmission and drive configuration, the Kizashi 2.4L can return a fuel economy of up to 23mpg in city driving and 31mpg on the highway.

A more powerful V6 petrol engine as well as a hybrid version are expected to join the Kizashi's lineup within the next two years.

The current range will consist of four trim levels (S, SE, GTS and SLS) with prices starting from below $20,000 for the entry-level S model and topping at around $24,000 for the SLS complete with all-wheel drive.

The Kizashi's base level 'S' comes with standard push button start, sport front seats, steering wheel audio controls, automatic dual-zone climate control with passenger rear vents, stability control, 8 airbags and integrated-chromed dual exhaust tips.

The SE adds a standard CVT transmission, 215/55-17 tires mounted on alloy wheels, a 10-way power driver seat with 3-position memory, cruise control and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, shift lever and parking brake lever.

Those that opt for the better equipped GTS have the choice of 6-speed manual or CVT transmissions with paddle shifters, while standard equipment includes 235/45-18 tires on alloy wheels, one-touch moonroof, fog lights, a 425 watt Rockford Fosgate audio system and integrated Bluetooth hands-free calling and audio streaming.

Finally, the top-spec SLS adds leather appointments to the interior, three-stage heated front seats, a four-way power passenger seat, "Home Link" universal garage door opener, windshield wiper rain sensor and rear parking sensors.

[aaggoswami]

1) The car has been launched internationally.
Links to a few drives:
2010 Suzuki Kizashi takes aim at midsize sedan segment: AutoWeekMagazine

2010 Suzuki Kizashi - Suzuki Midsize Sedan Review - Automobile Magazine


2) The car has received good reviews about ride and handling from almost all the test drives I could read on the net. The brakes are from Akebono, the same company who makes stoppers for Japan's bullet trains. Braking too is good as compared to American bigsellers like Camry, Accord and Altima.

3) The car has a more powerful engine than base version of Camry ( including the new 2.5 ),Altima and Accord. The unit is free-revving one.

4) Considering its base price of 2.5K USD, I think the car here must not cost more than Rs. 12 lakh. Anything beyond that, the car will not succeed as
a) Image will be an issue.
b) The car's size is near to Altis/Civic class rather than Camry/Accord class. The wheelbase itself is 2700mm, so you get the idea of size.

Probably the diesel from GM will help, but they are no longer deeply involved in JV right now, else the RA 420 from Captiva ( and now Cruze ) in Kizashi will hurt many cars.

5) The rear suspension is not shortcut non independent ( now sort of industry standard in India ) torsion beam one, but the rear suspension is 5 link setup. Better than the setup available in SX4 and other cars. The concept of smaller but springs of larger diameter = better handling is implemented in Kizashi's front suspension.

[srishiva]

If the price is 25000 dollars (thats how much a Accord class car costs), there is no way it can cost less than 15 lakhs. Unless, they bring the same quality to interiors like other Maruti cars.
FE is not good, size is not good. I dont know what the distinguishing features be, a cheap diesel maybe? (at the cost of petrol in its class)

Read the article, its supposed to start below 20,000 USD. Thats good.

[nurni76]

Originally Posted by brakehorsepower

source:2010 Suzuki Kizashi: Full Technical Specs, Prices Start Under $20,000 top out at $24,000 - Carscoop

When coupled to a manual transmission, the front-wheel drive Kizashi sprints from standstill to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 7.5 seconds.

A more powerful V6 petrol engine as well as a hybrid version are expected to join the Kizashi's lineup within the next two years.

Wow the Specs look amazing. 0-100 in 7.5s, this seems like faster than even a V6 Accord IIRC. Hope they bring the same specs to India

[srikanths1]

Originally Posted by srishiva

If the price is 25000 dollars (thats how much a Accord class car costs), there is no way it can cost less than 15 lakhs. Unless, they bring the same quality to interiors like other Maruti cars.
FE is not good, size is not good. I dont know what the distinguishing features be, a cheap diesel maybe? (at the cost of petrol in its class)

Read the article, its supposed to start below 20,000 USD. Thats good.

There is something that you need to note here, Maruthi is able to rein in the price cause of its heavy localization. So a direct comparison with accord might not be all that correct. It may be good benchmark for other players but not for Maruthi i presume. An SX4 sedan starting at 14k$ in US starts at 6.5L (ex S.room) here. So a 20K$ Kizashi should command what... a 9.5L (ex S.room) starting price band. If so it would dent the City first and might spell trouble for the Corolla/Civic segment.

But if crosses over to the 11+ bracket it "might" be hard for suzuki to fight out its rival japs given the cheap quality interiors we have been seeing in maruthi and the maruthi 'small car' mentality in our mindset. The general consensus would favour the refined altis or sporty civic. Also from the looks of it the Kisazhi seem to have "some" identity crisis with is younger sibling (a.l.a) SX4. It looks like a more mature SX4 (My personal opinion though).

I would favor a 11L OTR (NCR) price tag (or is it asking for more) and that "might" spell trouble for a lot of players in the C+ and entry level D segment.