Three exciting new cars from Maruti Suzuki

The country’s foremost car manufacturer is expected to launch new and exciting models in the near future. CarToq gives you a quick look at three of the most anticipated upcoming cars and what you can expect from them.

New Alto 800

Maruti Suzuki is expected to launch the new Maruti Alto 800 on October 16, 2012. The new Alto 800 will likely be a worthy successor to the popular M800. It is expected to be priced between Rs. 2 lakh and Rs. 3 lakh. Also read: Upcoming cheap diesel cars for India in 2013!

The new Alto 800 has design accents borrowed from its own siblings like the A-Star, Alto and Ritz. The wheelbase has been retained, which means that legroom will likely be more or less the same. The car looks taller which means you will get more headroom and an airy feeling cabin. We expect the car to come with refreshed interiors and better quality plastics.

The engine is an improved version of the existing F8D engine which is used in the current Alto Standard (800 cc). Power is said to have been bumped up by 3 bhp giving it an output of 47 bhp with an 11 percent improvement in torque. Maruti has kept the new Alto 800 light which means it gets an ARAI certified mileage of 22 kmpl.

New Wagon R Diesel

The Wagon R diesel will likely be launched early 2013. Petrol prices have been going up steeply and running petrol cars has become more expensive. Worst hit have been entry-level small cars where the only available diesel option is the Chevrolet Beat. Also read: Exciting launches lined up for the coming months

CNG/LPG cars still don’t make a good case for themselves due to lack of widespread availability and low range. Thus, it makes sense for Maruti to bring in a diesel alternative to this segment to cash in on the void.

One of the obvious choices should be their “Smart” car­­ — Wagon R. Fiat is said to be developing a smaller version of the 1.3 Multijet engine. This engine should be a sub 1 liter engine developing close to 60 bhp. The main advantage of this engine would be low-running cost, fuel efficiency (approximately 25kmpl) and more torque over the petrol engine.

The current Wagon R is revered for its space, features, comfort and more essentially affordability. We expect the diesel variant to retain these characteristics along with other better features. It is likely to have a starting price of just under Rs.4 lakh.

New Grand Vitara 1.9 DDiS

The Grand Vitara is a very capable off-roader with premium styling and features but a major downside to it was that it was only available in petrol. Recently, Suzuki launched it with a 1.9L DDiS engine in the U.K., which indicates that this variant could very well make it to Indian shores. Also read: What’s new and exciting about the top 5 upcoming launches!

This engine is rated at 128bhp and produces a massive 300 Nm of torque, even if we get a de-tuned version given the quality of fuel available here, we should still see a very capable engine which will be frugal and offer good performance.

Features will more or less be similar to the current Vitara along with minor aesthetic upgrades. Newer features may include heated seats, MP3 compatible 7 speaker stereo system, auto-climate control and steering mounted audio controls. NVH levels are improved. The interiors may be carried forward with this variant and the SUV should be priced at around 20-22 lakhs.