Maruti Udyog Ltd, on Thursday said all its models ranging from M800 to the latest sedan SX4 will cost more by up to Rs 4,300 on account of equipping the cars with a new anti-theft device.
The immobiliser device - branded as iCAT (intelligent computerised anti-theft system) - will be factory-fitted. Cars fitted with this advanced device are currently reaching Maruti showrooms across the country, a company statement said.
The price hike ranges between Rs 1,000 to Rs 4,300 (ex-showroom) for the various models, it added.
Commenting on the new initiative of the company, MUL managing director Jagdish Khattar said the iCATS would provide the customer a foolproof device that prevents theft.
"With this initiative, we have equipped our cars with a feature found in advanced car markets like Europe and Australia," he added.
iCATs work on digitally encrypted codes and is tamper-proof, the company said. In the light of the total vehicle security offered by the device, ICICI Bank has offered special interest rates for cars equipped with it.
Insurance companies too are offering a rebate of Rs 500 on insurance premium for cars equipped with iCATs, it added.
With the introduction of iCATs, the original set of keys becomes even more important and in case of loss of key, only the original second key would be able to start the car.
If the second key is also lost, the third key would have to be ordered from the company.