Maruti has announced a price hike across its entire range of cars in India with effect from January 16, 2016. At present, the company has sixteen products on sale in the country, two of which are sold through the NEXA dealership network.

All the cars sold through the Maruti Suzuki showrooms get dearer by Rs. 1,000 - Rs. 4,000. The newest entrant - the Baleno, gets dearer by Rs. 5,000 across all its variants except the Sigma petrol variant, which is now pricier by Rs. 12,000.

Recently, the company corrected the bizarre pricing of the S-Cross. The price of the DDiS 320 was slashed by Rs. 2,05,000 across all trim levels, while that of the DDiS 200 was reduced by 40,000 - Rs. 66,000 depending upon the variant (link to news article).

Last month, we had reported that the base and mid variants of the Maruti Suzuki Celerio will receive more safety features (click here to read report). Now, the company has announced that it will offer dual airbags and ABS as an option on all variants of the hatchback.  The addition of these features is expected to make it a safer car.

The Celerio was launched in India in February 2014. It has been a popular car and Maruti consistently manages to sell more than 6,500 units every month. The AMT version of the car has proven to be a big hit in the country due to the stress-free drive that it offers.

Earlier this month, Maruti Suzuki announced that it was offering dual airbags and ABS as an option in all variants of the WagonR, Stingray and Swift hatchbacks and Dzire compact sedan. The Ciaz got and optional safety pack in September.

Prices (ex-showroom, Delhi):

Petrol

• LXi MT (O) - Rs. 4,16,807
• LXi AMT (O) - Rs. 4,66,548
• VXi MT (O) - Rs. 4,46,830
• VXi AMT (O) - Rs. 4,96,564
• ZXi AMT (O) - Rs. 5,19,423

Diesel

• LDi (O) - Rs. 4,91,808
• VDi (O) - Rs. 5,21,830

CNG

• Green VXi (O) - Rs. 5,04,189

Note: Green VXi (O) comes with dual airbags only

Earlier this year, we had reported that Maruti Suzuki's entry level models could get safety features such as ABS and EBD (click here to read report). Now, Team-BHP has learnt that the company is gearing up to give the base and mid variant of the Celerio a safety pack. This pack consists of dual front airbags and anti-lock braking system.

The new variants of the petrol manual and AMT versions of the Celerio will be called LXi (O), VXi (O).The AMT version will also get a new ZXi (O) trim level, which will sit at the top of the Celerio line-up. There will be LDi (O) and VDi (O) trim levels for the diesel version as well.

Maruti Suzuki has used the Celerio to introduce new technologies in India. It was the first car to get an automated manual transmission (AMT) and the first Maruti to get an in-house developed 2-cylinder diesel engine. It is also the first hatchback from its existing range that will see the inclusion of such a safety pack on the base and mid variants.

This safety pack is also expected to be made available on base and mid variants of other existing Maruti products in the future.

Maruti has received a lot of flak for performing poorly in NCAP tests. The company is now trying to project a 'safety conscious' image. With India having a very poor record in road safety, it is good to see manufacturers taking measures to improve the safety of their offerings. Team-BHP supports the decision by Maruti Suzuki to provide the safety pack on its cars.

Maruti Suzuki had invested approximately Rs. 900 crores to develop the compact 2-cylinder diesel engine to power the Celerio (and other small cars). The company was very optimistic about this engine's potential in the country and was certain about a high demand for this oil burner. However, just months after its introduction, the top management have gone back to the conference room to re-look at their strategy to counter the poor sales performance of the Celerio diesel.

At the time of its introduction, company expected 20-30% of Celerio customers to opt for the diesel. However, the percentage seems much lower, with the petrol and the AMT versions still forming the majority chunk of the Celerio sales. Being Maruti's and even Suzuki's first attempt at a diesel engine, the response received from the market can be best termed as lukewarm. The motor wore the crown of being the most fuel-efficient diesel engine in the country, till the Ciaz SHVS came into the picture. It also offered decent pep for regular city commuting too.

So what could possibly be the reason for such a poor response then? A few reasons that immediately come to mind are its poor NVH and refinement levels, lack of top-end performance for highway sprints, the diminishing demand gap between petrol and diesel cars (with petrol cars making a comeback) and the high premium of Rs. 75,000 - 80,000 which this 2-cylinder commands over its petrol counterpart.

Contrary to the information that we've received, R.S.Kalsi (Director Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India) commended that the Celerio diesel sales seem better than expected and the company was ramping up production for the diesel unit (at the time of the Ciaz SHVS's launch). Maruti is also likely to add this motor to the best-selling car in the country - Alto 800, tuned to achieve 30 km/l (link to news article). If that happens, this motor might just see the volumes that that the company was hoping for.

Maruti Suzuki has announced that sales of its vehicles equipped with Auto Gear Shift (automated manual transmission or AMT) have crossed 50,000 units.

The Maruti Suzuki Celerio hatchback, which was launched in February 2014, was the first car in India to get AMT technology. The company then used the technology in the Alto K10 hatchback. Maruti claims that today, vehicles equipped with AMT account for 25% of the sales of the Celerio and Alto K10 put together.

The Celerio and Alto K10 are powered by a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine that puts out 67 BHP and 90 Nm of torque. AMT-equipped vehicles are popular in markets like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi.

The technology is said to offer the convenience of an automatic transmission with the fuel efficiency of a manual transmission. It is not as expensive as a conventional automatic gearbox. The system does not need a clutch to be depressed, which reduces the effort required to drive the vehicle, thus making the car relatively stress-free to drive in traffic.

Maruti Suzuki has set itself a goal of selling 2 million cars annually by 2020.

Maruti Suzuki currently enjoys the strongest position in the Indian car market. Month after month, year after year, Maruti has held on to the lion's share of the country's passenger car sales. To put it into perspective, in June 2015; 5 out of the top 10 selling cars in India came from Maruti's stable. In fact, the Maruti Dzire alone sells more than the entire model range of a few manufacturers in India. Now, reports say that Maruti's market value has surpassed that of its parent company Suzuki! An achievement that can be claimed by no other Indian organization with a foreign parent brand.

According to a report by ET Auto, Maruti's stock surged 65% in the past year, and while Suzuki is valued at $19 billion, Maruti itself is valued at $19.73 billion (Rs 1.26 lakh crore approx). While rising sales have made Maruti expand its range in India, Suzuki has been facing dwindling sales in all major markets with the exception of Asia.

Suzuki holds a 56% stake in Maruti and around 40% of its sales volume comes from India. In a vision 2020 document, the Japanese automaker said it expected the proportion of cars sold in India to reach 60% by 2020! Suzuki is also bolstering its investment in India to improve its reach in markets like Africa and Latin America. Maruti has been given a free hand to develop the business in Africa and Latin America by using Suzuki's existing dealer network.

Maruti has been known as manufacturer that caters to budget centric buyers, and Suzuki also developed a diesel engine specifically to cater to that market. The engine is question has already been used on the Celerio and will make its way to the Y9T LCV as well. At the same time, the brand has been gradually expanding its premium car range as well. After multiple flops in the C-segment, Maruti has seen a good response for the Ciaz. In order to give the brand a more premium standing, Maruti is also introducing the NEXA range of showrooms for higher priced models like the Ciaz and soon to be launched S-Cross.

The Maruti Suzuki Celerio has crossed the cumulative 1 lakh sales mark. The car was launched at the 2014 Auto Expo, which was held in February 2014.

The Celerio was the first car in India to get an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT).This technology offers the convenience of an automatic gearbox, but costs only slightly more than a manual transmission. Maruti claims that the AMT variants account for almost one third of the car's total sales.

At launch, the Celerio was available with a 993cc, 3-cylinder, 67 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and 90 Nm of torque @ 3,500 rpm. May 2014 saw the introduction of a CNG variant and in June 2015, a diesel version was launched. The Celerio diesel is powered by a 793 cc, 2-cylinder diesel unit that produces 47 BHP @ 3,500 rpm and 125 Nm of torque @ 2,000 rpm. This engine has been developed in-house by Maruti Suzuki.

According to Maruti its market share in the lower hatchback segment has gone up from 61% to 71% since the launch of the Celerio.

Maruti Suzuki has launched the Celerio diesel in India. At an introductory price of Rs. 4.65 lakhs, this car claims to be the most fuel efficient diesel car available in the country today, with a fuel efficiency figure of 27.62 km/l (beating its own sibling - Dzire, whose fuel efficiency is rated at 26.59 km/l).

The Celerio uses an in-house developed 793 cc, 2-cylinder diesel unit which produces 47 BHP at 3,500 RPM and 125 Nm of max torque at 2,000 rpm. The engine is named as the DDiS 125. Maruti claims that this is the lightest diesel engine available in the country today, weighing merely 89 kgs, due to its aluminum construction.

This car will be available in six colours - Sunshine Ray, Cerulean Blue, Silky SIlver, Blazing Red, Pearl Arctic White and Glistening Grey.

Presently, this is also the cheapest diesel car available in the country, with its closest competitor - Chevrolet Beat, priced Rs. 40,000 higher, while the Grand i10 is nearly Rs. 90,000 dearer. The price difference between the Celerio petrol and diesel variants is Rs. 75,000, which seems to be too high a premium for a 2-cylinder diesel engine.

Ex-showroom Delhi prices for the Celerio diesel are as below:
LDi: Rs. 4,65,393
VDi: Rs. 4,95,415
ZDi: Rs. 5,25,442
ZDi (OPT): Rs. 5,71,484

With the Celerio, Maruti Suzuki introduced the AMT technology to the Indian mass market. Now, over a year since this car's launch, the company is all set to introduce its first in-house developed diesel engine, once again debuting in the Celerio.

This diesel motor is a 793 cc, 2-cylinder unit which produces 47 BHP at 3,500 rpm and 125 Nm of max torque at 2,000 rpm. The ARAI fuel efficiency figure for this motor stands at 27.62 km/l, making it India's most fuel efficient diesel car. It is also going to be equipped with a new hydraulic clutch.

Maruti claims that this is the lightest engine available in the country today, weighing merely 89 kilos. This is due to its aluminum construction which is much lighter than a cast iron unit.

Rumors are that the Celerio diesel is likely to be launched on June 3, 2015. A Zdi variant has been spotted before, however, we will have to wait and see whether it will be available with ABS + EBD and dual airbags or just a driver airbag. The Celerio diesel will compete with Chevrolet Beat, Hyundai Grand i10 and Tata's upcoming Kite.

Source: GaadiWaadi

Maruti Suzuki is gearing up to introduce the Celerio diesel hatchback in India. The launch of the car is expected to take place in the first week of June. Meanwhile the specifications of the car have been leaked.

The Celerio diesel will be powered by a 793cc, twin-cylinder engine that has been developed in-house by Maruti Suzuki. This unit will produce 47 BHP @ 3,500 rpm and 125 Nm of torque @ 2,000 rpm and will be mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. The car will sport a DDiS125 badge, which indicates the torque output of the engine. The Celerio diesel will come with an ARAI fuel efficiency rating of 27.62 kpl. This will make it the most fuel efficient car in the country.

There are rumours that the Celerio diesel might be available with an automated manual transmission (AMT) at a later stage. However, at present, the company does not seem to have any plans to equip the car with the technology.

Source: Autocar India