The Hyundai i20 is one of the most loaded B+ hatchback, features
wise, in the Indian car market. While the i20′s ride and handling
package is something that nobody would be gloating about, the car sells
and sells well for the generous amount of features and high quality
interiors it offers buyers. Also see: Future A-Star under testing in India – spy shots!
A new i20 is due for a launch next year, with the car being spotted
testing in numerous locations including ones in India. The new i20 is
likely to raise the bar further when it comes to the features on offer.
Similarly, another large hatchback in the form of the Honda Jazz is
likely to be launched in India next year.
With the Indian car buyers not hesitating to fork out sums close to
9-10 lakh rupees for a hatchback like say the Hyundai i20, Volkswagen
Polo GT TSI/TDI and the Fiat Punto 90 HP, market leader Maruti Suzuki
seems to have finally taken notice.
- A report on FinancialExpress talks about Maruti Suzuki developing a brand new hatchback code-named the YRA.
- The YRA hatchback could sit above the Ritz and the Swift hatchbacks, as Maruti Suzuki premium B+ hatchback offering.
- The car is likely to make its debut in 2015.
Apart from the three important points detailed above, other details
of the YRA hatchback remain under wraps for now. Maruti Suzuki has
steadily been upping the ante when it comes to the quality of its cars’
interiors. Right from the new Swift, cars such as the new Dzire and the
Ertiga have shown marked improvements in the quality of interiors, a
trait that needs to be carried over to the YRA hatchback.
Maruti is also likely to add many upmarket features to its new
hatchback. Both petrol and diesel engine options are very likely to be
offered on the YRA hatchback considering what competition offers. The
YRA hatchback is a global model that will be manufactured at two major
locations in the world, Maruti Suzuki’s factory in India and Suzuki’s
European factory in Hungary.
Source
Maruti Suzuki will gradually phase out the A-Star in the run up to
the launch of its replacement, the YL7 hatchback that is also known as
the next-generation Suzuki Alto.
The YL7 hatchback could be showcased at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo,
with an Indian launch soon after. Internationally, the YL7 will be known
as the Suzuki Alto and will be the Japanese automaker’s entry level
car. Maruti Suzuki has begun testing the 2014 Alto or YL7 quite
extensively on Indian streets. In the next few weeks, expect to see big
discounting on the A-Star as Maruti Suzuki dealers begin clearing out
stocks in anticipation of the new model.
While Maruti Suzuki sells the A-Star in India, the same car bears a
range of badges for international markets. Suzuki Alto, Suzuki Celerio
and Nissan Pixo are three names that the A-Star is known as
internationally and Maruti Suzuki has been a major exported of this
budget hatchback. Nissan has announced the discontinuation of the Pixo
from the European market and this announcement means that Nissan won’t
source the Pixo from Maruti Suzuki anymore. Maruti will therefore be
left with additional production capacity that the automaker can better
deploy with the new Suzuki Alto/YL7 hatchback.
The phasing out of the A-Star in India marks the second instance of
Maruti Suzuki discontinuing a slow selling hatchback over the last 12
months. The Estilo hatchback’s production has been stopped and the car
is available at hefty discounts at most Maruti Suzuki dealerships.
Coming to the replacement models for the A-Star and the Estilo, Maruti
Suzuki is likely to replace both hatchbacks with a single car, the
YL7/next generation Suzuki Alto. The YL7 could initially be available
with the 1 liter K series petrol engine and a manual gearbox.
Petrol-automatic, CNG, LPG and diesel options could be offered in the
times to come.
Photo sources 1 & 2
Maruti Suzuki will revamp its B+ segment hatchbacks in the coming
years. The Ritz tall boy will be updated first, in 2015, with the Swift
seeing an all new model a couple of years later.
Both cars are good sellers for Maruti Suzuki in India but the Swift
runs rings around every other B+ segment hatchback here including the
Ritz, with the car managing a consistent monthly average sales of around
15,000 units. This also means that the Ritz is the car that needs a
major update first. The Ritz, first launched in India during 2009, is in
the middle of its life cycle. The car was facelifted last year and the
next couple of years should herald an all-new model going by Suzuki car
life cycles.
The Ritz will see an update in 2015 and the car is likely to adopt a
new platform, which could be the current Swift’s platform. The current
Ritz is based on the previous/1st generation Swift’s platform. The new
platform (current/2nd generation Swift platform) could make the Ritz
larger. Apart from a larger size, the new Ritz could benefit from
additional features and a new turbo diesel engine from the new engine
range that Suzuki is developing for use on all its small cars. Along
with the new turbo diesel engine, expect the Ritz to continue being
offered with a petrol engine as well.
Maruti will facelift the Swift hatchback next year, with features
such as a start-stop system, cruise control, key less entry and push
button start. Cosmetically, the car will be largely unchanged except for
the possible addition of new paint schemes. The Swift’s next generation
model will arrive in 2017, 6 years after the launch of the car’s second
generation version. As Maruti Suzuki is rumoured to be developing a
brand new B+ hatchback code-named the YRA, as a challenger to the next
generation i20 and the Honda Jazz, the next generation Swift could
retain its current size and positioning.
