Maruti Suzuki will launch the petrol-powered Vitara Brezza later this year along with three other important cars
Carmakers are enduring a tough time in the Indian market and if April 2019 sales were any indication of things to come, we could be in for a worrying tenure ahead. Election period does traditionally bring volume drop but this time around it has been accompanied by various economic factors.
Furthermore, the oncoming safety and crash test regulations and the April 2020 deadline for BSVI emission standards coupled with never-before-seen fuel prices and insurance costs have exacerbated the market scenario. Last month, all brands except Honda posted negative sales growth with Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai registering 19.6 and 10 per cent fall in volumes.
The market is expected to gain traction in the second half of the year and Maruti Suzuki has already asked its dealers to “gear up for more impacts this year”. The largest car producer in the country scaled down its production by 20 per cent in the last two months to hamper piling up of unnecessary inventory with dealers.
At least seven Maruti Suzuki dealers have reportedly shut down their doors due to financial woes encountered last year and the demand during the festive season wasn’t as high as it used to be amidst the vehicles were offered with attractive discounts. To alleviate the sales de-growth, Maruti Suzuki has confirmed to introduce four new cars along the course of this year.
The Concept Future S gained plenty of attention when it was showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo and it previewed a new design approach for the brand. A micro SUV based on the Future S concept will be launched before the festive period of this year and it will compete against Mahindra KUV100 and the upcoming Tata H2X based model likely dubbed the Hornbill.
The second product will reach Nexa showrooms and we suspect it could be the seven-seater version of the Wagon R to take on July-bound Renault Triber MPV. It may as well be the RS variant of Swift hatchback using Baleno’s 1.0-litre Boosterjet engine with cosmetic updates but we do not have confirmation at the moment.
The Vitara Brezza will get a petrol engine while a six-seater sporty Ertiga will be up for grabs likely via Nexa dealerships as well.