Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest carmaker, has been prominently leading the hatchback segment with the cars like Alto and Swift. Then there were some cars that were not able to compete with rivals such as A-Star. And then, there was Ritz. A limitless hatchback that was launched at a time when the company’s very own Swift was also selling like a hot cake. Thus Ritz was not only put up against the likes of Hyundai i10 and Ford Figo but also against its own sibling, the Swift. Was it able to succeed? Let’s find out.
2009 – “Be Limitless!” says Maruti Suzuki
With the failure of A-Star, Maruti Suzuki learnt a few things about the Indian market. First of all, people won’t buy a costly hatchback that won’t even fit 4 people comfortably. And second, people won’t spend more on a Maruti at all. With losing the market to the likes of Hyundai i10, Maruti had to come up with a car that would rectify the mistakes made and revive the position of the company in the segment. Thus, Maruti Suzuki launched the Ritz in the Indian market in 2009.
Ritz was a rebadged version of Suzuki Splash which was on sale in Europe and Japan from 2008. In India, the name had to be changed to Ritz as the name ‘Splash’ was already registered by Ford.
Talking about the car, it became widely popular and the company sold over 2,00,000 Ritz within 3 years of launch. This popularity can be credited to the tallboy design, powerful engine, ergonomics and cabin space.
Maruti Suzuki Ritz had two engine options. In the petrol arena, it was powered by a 1.2-litre K12M engine capable of churning out 84hp@6,000rpm of power and a peak torque of 113Nm@4,000rpm. It had a mileage of 18kmpl. The diesel unit was Fiat’s 1.3-litre Multijet engine with a capability of producing 74hp@4,000rpm and 190Nm@2,000rpm of torque. It had a mileage of 21kmpl.
It should be noted that it was India’s first BS4-compliant car. Ritz had no problems in reaching out to customers and lure them into buying one.
Why miss? Maruti Suzuki Swift: The Limitless Hatchback
2012: Maruti Suzuki Ritz gets a facelift
The car was already doing great. Maruti decided to give a facelift to the Ritz in 2012. The new hatch had a slightly reformed and lower front with a one-piece grille. The new headlamps were sportier and pointed. The top variant also got alloy wheels.
At the inside, the facelift had some minor changes such as lumbar support at the rear seats, new audio system with USB, electrically adjustable ORVMs, multi-information display at the instrument panel and steering mounted controls. The car was also equipped dual front airbags, but only for the top variants.
But the major change was under the hood as the petrol option was removed. There was only a diesel engine left that was 1.3-litre DDiS engine which produced 73hp@4,000rpm and 190Nm@2,000rpm of peak torque.
Also read: Maruti Suzuki WagonR: History Of India’s Most Loved Hatchback
2017: Ritz Discontinued
Good things do come to an end. The Ritz was discontinued. Maruti Suzuki was able to sell over 4,00,000 units of Ritz before the discontinuation. Although the hatchback started with a bang, it was not able to retain the market presence and later lost it its rivals.
Have a look: Why the Maruti Suzuki AStar failed as a hatchback?
