The ones that have ever driven a Zen know how good the car is. Maruti Zen was one of the most famous hatchbacks of its time. The Zen is the acronym for ‘Zero Engine Noise’. The car was launched in India back in 1993, almost 10 years after the inception of Maruti Suzuki. Within no time, Zen became a popular car. The powerful engine, low-floor drive and customizability gave it a headstart in the race against the rivals.
1999 – The Year Of A Major Mistake
Maruti made a very wrong call of introducing the Zen Classic. It looked as if it was picked straight from the roads of China. The whole front looked ugly with round headlamps and god knows what grille. The chrome lining was an addition to the pain and grief. The Classic model was soon discontinued due to very low demands. Maruti had to make it to the customers for making such a mistake.
2003 – Forgive Maruti For All The Sins It Committed
Maruti Zen was sold in a different avatar in Poland, which was a 3-door hatchback. It was sold in two variants, namely Zen Carbon and Zen Steel. It was a good seller in the Polish market before the company decided to stop the export. The company was left with 600 units in total, 300 of each of the variant.
This is when the marketing team decided to launch a limited-edition Zen which will help to clear out the inventory as well as help in regaining the lost customers. Maruti Zen was launched with a 3-door setup in 2003.
This was a very innovative way to say sorry. The Zen Carbon was available in ‘Carbon Black’ while the Zen Steel was available in ‘Steel Silver’ colour. As soon as the company announced the limited versions, people who loved the 5-door hatch went crazy and bought off the whole lot off the market.
It was equipped with a 1.0-litre engine which could produce 60hp of power and a peak torque of 78Nm. The variants were priced around ₹2lakhs. All the features were the same as the 5-door version except the 5 doors itself. It also had an air conditioning unit to make you feel comfortable inside the limited special edition.
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Have you seen Maruti Zen Carbon or Steel?
It is a very rare chance that you might have seen one. The fact that a total of 600 were rolled out makes it the rarest to find. There are few people who were able to get the limited edition and have tastefully modified these little beasts. Some people can be seen to overhaul the engine to even produce over 100hp of power from the 1.0-litre engine which in stock would produce 60hp at max. Next time you see one of these 600 units, don’t just stand there in awe and make sure you get a pic too. Hope you enjoyed the short read on the 3-door Zen twins. Stay tuned while we bring such content for you. Enjoy and stay safe!
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