Starting this Sunday, I start a series of weekly specials. This will be inside news about future company model shows, happenings, things you may not have read in any of the enthusiast magazines, and things that when published are accompanied by ‘SCOOP’ in bold capital letters. Since none of the media has any use for my rantings, however accurate, I will use my blog as a means of communication.
Maruti has some ambitious plans for 2006. The company will launch the Escudo, the replacement for the Grand Vitara, already available in international markets. The Escudo, based on the GM-Suzuki Chevy Equinox platform, is an attractive vehicle and would make a good flagship and image builder, something the old Vitara couldn’t do.
After all this, Maruti wants to take a look at the Corolla-Octavia-Optra segment with an all-new sedan being developed by Suzuki. This is expected for next year only. By the end of this year, Maruti’s diesel plant and its new facility in Manesar will be operational. And that would mean an additional headache for your competition.
The Wagon R will receive an overhaul this year. The Solio that Maruti exhibited at this year’s Auto Expo is a pointer to things of the future. The reworked Wagon R will have more legroom and a new face, too. I expect a diesel will be introduced when Suzuki is ready with Fiat’s 1.3-litre Multijet.
The Zen will finally rest, a difficult act to do with a model that still sells a few thousand each month. But the Zen brand will not die. I hope the MR Wagon will show up in India under the Zen brand. The MR Wagon is a nifty little car powered in Japan by a 660cc engine, but the Indian version may have a bigger engine.
The Swift sedan is also on the anvil, quite possibly later in the year with a petrol and the new Multijet diesel. The Swift itself will also receive diesel injection.
