Maruti Suzuki guns for growth in India by launching Ertiga in April 2012

March 23, 2012 - PRLog -- Maruti Suzuki will be announcing the global launch of Ertiga in April this year in India, for which the company has invested in excess of Rs 400 crore as development cost. Mayank Pareek, Managing Executive Officer (Marketing and Sales), MSIL told the agency that what the Japanese car maker was trying in India was to create a niche segment of small MPVs, somewhat similar to what it did with Maruti Suzuki Swift in the hatchback segment. "We have not been forayed into the MPV segment, though we are the overall market leader in India. With Ertiga, we will have a complete range of passenger vehicles in the country", he added.

Elaborating on the significance of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Pareek pointed out: "The MUV and SUV segment put together is doing about 30,000 units a month in the country. We will now have a presence there with the new vehicle, Ertiga and grab a significant market share. What is more, in India, there are about 15 million cars and around eight million owners are looking to upgrade, but not all of them are simply just considering bigger cars. They are looking for family oriented MPVs, which is what we are trying to tap".


The official, nevertheless was tight lipped about MSIL's sales plans from Ertiga. Moreover, Ertiga will be available in both petrol and diesel variants. While the petrol variant will be powered by a 1.4 litre engine, the diesel version will have a 1.3 litre powertrain. Maruti Suzuki claimed that the petrol variant of Ertiga will deliver a mileage of 16.02 kmpl, while the diesel version returns 20.77 kmpl.

Shedding light on the sales growth prospects for the next fiscal, Pareek said the first half will still be tough as market situation hasn't shown any significant improvement. "Towards the second half, we expect the sales to gain momentum, especially around the festive season.  For more on this report, visit www.automotivehorizon.sulekha.com/maruti-suzuki-bets-big-on-ertiga-to-enter-into-mpv_newsitem_4195