Maruti Ertiga unveiled in Auto Expo 2012

Maruti Suzuki unveiled the Ertiga MPV at the 11 th Delhi Auto Expo and the company will launch it in April. The Ertiga kicks start a new compact MPV segment and will compete with the Chevrolet’s production version of the MPV concept and Mahindra’s mini Xylo that did not make appearance at the auto show.
It seats seven adult seats(2+3+2 configuration) with 135 litres boot space when all seats are up—or, 480 liters with folded third row. The petrol variant will be powered by a 1.4-litre K-series 98 bhp motor while the diesel variant will be powered by 1.3-litre DDiS super turbo that makes 90 bhp.
The Ertiga is expected to be priced in the range of Rs. 6 – Rs. 8 lakh depending on the variant. At this price, it will make for rather compelling big family car.

Maruti XA Alpha Compact SUV concept unveiled at Delhi Auto Expo

Compact SUVs seem to be the theme at the Delhi Auto Expo 2012 in India. Not content with letting the Ford EcoSport stand alone, Maruti Suzuki unveiled this concept compact SUV called the Maruti Suzuki XA Alpha at the Auto Expo 2012 today. The Maruti Suzuki XA Alpha Concept took about 10 months of development time, and 5Maruti engineers were involved in the project. Maruti Suzuki does not currently have an SUV in the Indian market. SUVs consist of about 14% of the total market in India, and a smaller model like the XA Alpha would probably do better in India compared to larger models like the Grand Vitara.

The production Maruti Suzuki XA Alpha will come with a choice of both petrol and diesel engines. The petrol engine is expected to be a 1.3 liter, while details on the diesel engine remains unknown.
“India is set to become one of the top automobile markets of the world. This may become evident as early as the next Delhi Auto Expo. Maruti Suzuki will lead India’s automobile growth and evolution by strengthening its compact car portfolio, entering new segments and creating new product categories acrossfuel options. The Concept XA is designed for a market of customers with a young urban lifestyle. This Concept showcases the unified R&D efforts of Suzuki andMaruti which will be a big asset for us in India inthe future,” said Managing Director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki, Mr. Shinzo Nakanishi.