Maruti rolls out all new Dzire at Rs 545,000

The company has already received bookings for 33,000 units so far.

India’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Tuesday launched an all new version of its compact sedan Dzire, priced between Rs 545,000 and Rs 941,000 (ex-showroom Delhi).

The petrol variants with manual powertrains are priced between Rs 545,000 and Rs 794,000 while the diesel trims are tagged between Rs 645,000 and Rs 894,000.

The petrol automatic variants are priced between Rs 676,000 and Rs 841,000 while the diesel trims with automatic transmission are in the range of Rs 776,000 and Rs 941,000 (all prices ex-showroom Delhi).

Dzire will compete with the likes of Hyundai Xcent, Honda Amaze, Ford Aspire and Volkswagen Ameo. These models are priced in the range of Rs 470,000 to Rs 841,000.

"The new Dzire is bound to create plenty of excitement in the Indian automobile market," MSI managing director and CEO Kenichi Ayukawa told reporters in New Delhi.

The model was specially created for India and has been one of the most popular brands ever in the Indian auto market, he added.

"Now we have designed a whole new Dzire for sedan customers to fulfil the growing aspirations of a young and prosperous India," Ayukawa said.

The company has already received bookings for 33,000 units so far.

MSI along with its suppliers has invested over Rs 1,000 crore (Rs 10 billion) for the new generation Dzire. The compact sedan comes with around 99 per cent localisation.

The new Dzire comes with a 1.2-litre petrol engine and a 1.3-litre diesel powertrain. It is wider by 40 mm than the outgoing version.

It also comes with 62 litres of extra boot space and extra leg room of 55 mm compared to the previous Dzire.

The model delivers fuel efficiency of 28.4 km per litre for diesel version and 22 km per litre for petrol powered versions, MSI claimed.

The sedan would be mainly produced at the company's Manesar facility. The present generation Dzire would now be sold as Dzire Tour to fleet operators.

The company has till date sold 14 lakh units of the model in India since the launch of first generation Dzire in March 2008.

Dzire has been instrumental in making the company a strong player in the entry sedan segment. The model has been contributing to around 50 per cent of vehicle sales in the compact sedan segment.

In 2016-17, the Dzire came third in the top 10 best selling list of passenger vehicles. It was the second best selling model among passenger vehicles in 2015-16. Last full model change of the Dzire happened in February 2012.