Maruti Suzuki will be launching its new luxury sedan, the Kizashi, in India next year. The car has already been launched in the US and is expected to be unveiled in India in the 2010 Auto Expo. It will come with a 2.4 litre engine, designed to comply with the Euro IV norms. With the Kizashi, Maruti can hope to take on other big car companies in the country, such as Honda and Toyota. So far, Maruti Suzuki has been looked upon mainly as a small car company. In the past, the company’s ventures into the premium sedan segment have not been too successful. The Maruti Baleno was discontinued because of low sales figures. The SX4 too, is not doing too well, its sales limited too 600-700 units units in the domestic market. In contrast, the Honda City sells over 2,500 units every month. The City has been the leader in the mid-sized sedan segment for the past ten years. The Toyota Corolla too, is selling in good numbers.
Maruti hopes that the Kizashi will help it compete with the biggies in the premium sedan segment. Expected to be priced between Rs 10 and 13 lakh, it will compete with Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Sonata, SkodaAuto Octavia and Volkswagen Jetta. The car is currently being customised for Indian driving conditions
