[Yeldo]

The Kizashi M/T is cheaper than the Superb 1.8M/T by more than 1.5L and the 2.4 M/T Accord by nearly 2L ex- showroom. Both the M/T and CVT versions are priced between the A/T Elegance and L&K versions of the Laura. The Kizashi seems to be trying to do what the Laura did: straddle two segments. In a market which grows boom boom in every quarter, the car might enjoy some good success. Remember the Santa Fe story and the dire predictions we made about it?

Now, only if it had a Diesel engine at Rs 1L premium, how wonderful things might have been!

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by ajay_satpute

First of all I dont know why GTO would say that "It has a brand value of 3 lakhs". And on top of that what made you say that Tata has got brand value of 1 lakh. Makes no damn sense to me. Please prove your point.

I was just making an analogy there. Calm your nerves and read my post again WITH the quoted post. Thanks

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Because by the same logic, the cheapest offering from Tata is the Nano - 1-lakh car, remember ?

Spot on, mate.

Originally Posted by mayankk

3 lac doesnt equate to cheapness, but to affordability.

Affordability and luxury don't mix.

Half-full approach,eh?

[Mpower]

Hmm...I would be ready to pay 1 lakh above an equally specced Civic but not this much. Just because it has a 2.4 you cannot compare it to an Accord. This is a smaller car with larger than expected engine.

Weather its a CBU or not aint my problem. If Mercedes can do CKD on the S-class why cannot Maruti? I can understand if someone like Peugeot does a CBU because they have zero infrastructure in India.

But Maruti... they are the biggest and have the largest infrastructure for making cars.

[xingamazon]

Kizashi I am afraid as said by many is too expensive.
But I do appreciate Maruti's efforts in getting the car here. Maruti are just trying a fling and seeing if they will turn out lucky like i20.

The fact that they got CBU proves that they are not expecting big numbers themselves

Originally Posted by Caramelo

i don't get the point about value of 3 lakhs. i think people should change the mindsets about the "its a Maruti" thing. this is a Suzuki first of all and i can tell you this car has been tested @ Nurburg ring and has performed fantastically. its way better than its competition in terms of performance. Having said that i totally agree with the CBU pricing. but they can't help it. they know the sales won't be much, they are just testing the waters here.

I understand your pain, well here is a good example to get the perspective.
There is a Nokia phone at 30K and an Apple Iphone at 30K, for comparison sake even if the Nokia one has all the features of an Iphone. One would think that Apple is the expert of costly phone and tend to go towards that phone.
Imagine if you have 30K where will your money go???

[reignofchaos]

Not sure what folks are whining about. The car is actually better priced than expected for a CBU.

One gets Japanese reliability, a stiff sporty suspension, close to 180bhp, excellent build and interiors, superb after sales service for under 20lacs.

If it drives better than the Laura TSi or even comes close to it, this would be on top of my list when I look for a replacement for my Cedia next year.

Maruti is trying to create a niche among petrolheads and folks are complaining . This is exactly what the doctor ordered if one is looking for a premium sedan which is not a wimp to drive like the Accord or Superb.

Agreed that the price could be lower if it was a CKD, assembled in India. Maruti should probably be doing that.

[xingamazon]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

One gets Japanese reliability, a stiff sporty suspension, close to 180bhp, excellent build and interiors, superb after sales service for under 20lacs.

Well I dont seem to agree to this, of course there are many MASS around India. But I am sure only specialist will be able to handle Kizashi.
Imagine this, will you take Grand Vitara to your street MASS center.
Wont you only rely on bigger shops than risking it in smaller service centers.

[W.A.G.7]

16.5L and 17.5L ex showroom is higher priced. But on second thoughts I would buy it if I had 20L to splurge on a luxury car on road. Agreed, Suzuki cars don't have much snob value in the luxury car market, but I would buy it for peace of mind and the engine/gearbox.

The Indian website of Kizashi shows only 3 colors are available as of now, but the international one shows many shades available. The car looks more like SX4 to me from the front 3 quarters, I feel. Maruti has played safe with the conservative styling but I would have preferred something more radical looking. Too much plain jane.

[shivasuma]

I think what GTO meant to say is that, in the eyes of the general public Kizashi is a car by Maruti which is known for small cars. Kizashi might not have the Maruti name on it but it still is being sold by Maruti. Can Maruti sell it at this price??? Well, only time will tell. Till then peace.

[devsoftech]

I want to laugh out loud because we as consumers are always complaining that either we got a under powered car or a higher powered car. Bashers would like to see Kizashi compared to a Corolla/Civic to defend their loved brand's Camry / Accord or simply say it doesn't match up. It really is somewhere in between them. We refer to maruti as cheap because of all measures they take to make the costs and profits meet. In this case being a CBU, I believe it is going to be a different story. Pricing is a disappointment however. On a interesting note, please see the cost at which this would have been manufactured before exporting to india (some 7-8 lakh-ish). No wonder you see those beige interiors and missing features, OEM audio. It is definitely built to a tight price point for India. The US Kizashi starts at $19000 (9 lakh), so something worth 1-2 lakhs has to make a cut before entering here. Kizashi should be instead "Assembled to order". Take 10,000 bookings and rollout a batch. If SX4 selling at 1500 units monthly (1500 X 12 = 18000) is being "manufactured" in India, why not something similar for Kizashi.

Take CBU import EVO for instance, people are picky about brands and we want Maruti to remain cheap or the way it is.

[suman]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Not sure what folks are whining about. Agreed that the price could be lower if it was a CKD, assembled in India. Maruti should probably be doing that.

If you agree, it looks like you're whining about what the rest of the folks are

[Dippy]

Just attended the Mumbai launch of the Kizashi at the ITC Grand Maratha Hotel. The Kizashi in Mumbai is priced at :

(Ex Showroom)
MT: 17.12 lakhs
AT (CVT) : 18.16 lakhs

Some important points of the Kizashi:

• 2.4 litre J Series engine. 178 PS @6500rpm, torque 230Nm @4000rpm
• CVT comes with paddle shifts
• 10 way power seat for driver with 3 position memory
• Keyless entry and start
• 6 air bags (Driver & Co Driver, 2 front side, 2 curtain)
• ESP with traction control
• Projector Headlamps
• Hill Hold Control in CVT variant
• 5 star rating in the NCAP crash tests

Key points from my conversation with Mr. Shashank Shrivastava, the Chief GM for Marketing, Maruti:

• Deliveries for the Kizashi start in March. Bookings begin today at all dealerships.
• There is a possibility that Maruti may look at the CKD route for the Kizashi in the future but no concrete plans just yet.
• Intense training to dealership staff to handle Kizashi customers. A different buying experience is promised.
• On asking him, he did mention that the design cues for the Kizashi are inspired from the SX4.
• At the moment 350 units have been imported for sale. More would come in as per the demand.
• The all important question Diesel? There will not be a diesel variant of the Kizashi. The car is imported as a CBU and Japan is not planning on developing a diesel unit for the Kizashi.

[lancer_rit]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Hmm...I would be ready to pay 1 lakh above an equally specced Civic but not this much. Just because it has a 2.4 you cannot compare it to an Accord. This is a smaller car with larger than expected engine.

It costs $19K for the base model in US compared to about $21K for the Accord. Thats ~Rs.1lakh price difference in US, and Maruti has launched it with a 2lakh price difference in India, with what (at first glance) appears to be much better spec-ed relatively to the US models (read the Accord in India is as barebones as you can get).
And they have done it inspite of it being a CBU. So, my read is that Maruti is not making any money at this price - this is the CKD price though they launched it as a CBU.
Frankly, I am not sure what folks expect or are expecting.
Having said that, I agree its very tough for MS to make a premium/upscale sedan and gain acceptability - Hyundai has completely flopped with the Sonata and Elantra. So, its really tough for maruti

@RoC, agree to most of your post

[spookey]

I am really disappointed with myself that i waited for 3 months , thinking Maruti will leave no stone unturned to enter this segement with a bang. Never thought they would do a honda jazz.

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Inspite of all the bad points Kizashi may outsell others in the segment. If Aria can sell 300+ a month Kizashi can definitely rock.

I have to eat my words after seing the pics posted by Dippy from the Mumbai launch. The car here appears to be only a max 13L one.

Buyers would be adopting a wait and watch scheme initially.

[asdon]

I am little surprised that no one has mentioned one point -
Is Maruti ready with a service infrastructure to handle a 19.x Lac OTR car in their service line? forget GV, hope Kizashi will out number GV sales figures atleast.

Be ready to hear out of the world excuses from the service guy because its a "CBU", .