Maruti Suzuki India seems to have shifted its focus as according to leading media reports India’s largest carmaker is rigorously working on developing two new entry-level hot-hatches which will are rumoured to be priced under 5 lakhs.
With Maruti entering the entry-level segment where the on-going competition is easing all thanks to the new and yet to be introduced safety and emission regulations.
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According to a leading media house, the much talked about model will be an all-new 800cc and another car which will receive their power from a 1-litre petrol engine. As of now, Maruti Suzuki India sells the Alto k10 which features the same 800cc petrol unit as well as the Celerio which also come with a 1-litre option.
Kenichi Ayukawa, MD MSIL, has also confirmed that the company is working on an 800cc car with multiple variants. However, he did not specify anything about the second car.
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Speaking to a leading media house, he said: “We have to comply with new regulations on safety and emission which spike the cost by 10% on entry-level and makes it challenging and We still have to find a solution on the same.”
The car in question (codenamed YNC is expected to the roads by 2021 and will replace the current-gen Celerio which comes with both 1-litre and 1.2-litre engines options. The second car (codenamed Y0M) could be the 800cc car and could overthrow the existing Alto.
With these two launches, Maruti Suzuki India wants to ensure that these upcoming products will remain affordable even with the new regulation in process and shall help the company retain its 50% market share which also might be one of the main reasons why Maruti Suzuki India is keen on developing the new cars in the entry-level segment.