The 2019 Maruti Wagon R will be a stronger rival to the new Hyundai Santro and will launch in the first quarter of next year
Maruti Suzuki will launch the third generation Wagon R in India very soon. The 2019 Maruti Wagon R has been spotted during its TVC shoot in Goa, which means the company isn’t very far from making it to the market. The new model will be rivalling the second-generation Hyundai Santro, which is fast gaining popularity in the crowded A-segment of the market.
As the 2019 Maruti Wagon R will be a budget offering, we don’t expect it to make it to the Nexa retail chain. The production of the new model will start by mid-January, and the new car should launch in the first quarter of the next year. The latest set of spy images, while blurry, do reveal the car’s side profile to some extent.
The 2019 Maruti Wagon R features the same boxy appearance that is seen on the current and the first-generation model. But our guess is that the new model is slightly bigger and the stretched rear window should translate into a spacious interior. A portion of the C-pillar and the B-pillar will be blacked out to give you a floating roof effect, while the rear-end will have Xmas-tree-styled tail lights.
The new lighting arrangement seems to be a new trend emerging on Maruti Suzuki cars. The new Ertiga also has a similar setup. Unlike it was being expected, the Indian version won’t look anything like the JDM model. This is keeping in tastes with the local car buyer, who tends to find the Japanese small car designs a bit awkward.
While the JDM model is underpinned by the HEARTECT platform, the local version will not benefit from the lightweight platform to keep costs under control. It will be based on a new version of the current platform. This will help the company price the car attractively. The strengthened architecture will meet the upcoming safety norms and make the 2019 Maruti Wagon R safer than the second generation model.
The engine for the 2019 Maruti Wagon R will be carried over from the current car. However, it will be revised to be compliant with the BSVI norms. Power and torque should remain more or less the same, which means you can expect 67 bhp and 90 Nm. Gearbox options will include a 5-speed manual and a 5-speed AMT.