2012 Suzuki Regina G70 Concept
Maruti brought a huge change in the small car segment when it launched its Swift in 2005. The brand gained a huge market share and the success of the Swift also helped regain confidence of people in Maruti products. Later Maruti introduced the A-Star which was sold under the badge of Suzuki Alto in international markets and the Ritz which is sold as Suzuki Splash or Vauxhall Agila in other markets. The Ritz catered the premium hatch segment and is popular for its roomie interiors, while the A-Star is popular for its fuel-efficiency and the low-cost. However the sales figures of these two cars were not that astonishing.
Maruti has already realized the need to revamp both the models, and as per the report published in the Autocar.co.uk is already working to address the issue. But instead of launching two upgraded cars, Maruti Suzuki has decided to combine the bestselling features of both the cars into one new car. So we can expect the new car will have the space of the Ritz and the fuel-efficiency of the A-Star. So far not much of details are known, but the report mentions that the new car will be lighter and more efficient and can be based on the Suzuki G70 Concept launched at 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The new car is expected to make its debut in Thailand by 2014. Suzuki also plans to gradually withdraw the existing Ritz and the A-Star from the global market in order to make room for the new car.
However the major question remains is positioning and pricing, because Maruti already sells Wagon-R that is placed in between the Ritz and the A-Star. Although the details of the upcoming small car is unclear at the moment, but we speculate it to compete directly with the likes of Honda Brio.
(Note – The images of 2012 Suzuki G70 Concept, previously called as the Regina is used for illustration purpose only.)
Also see – Maruti Suzuki to launch new sub-segment cars to protect market share
Maruti Suzuki confirms the launch of YL7 hatchback and YL1 sedan by end-2014
2012 Suzuki Regina G70 Concept – FrontView
2012 Suzuki Regina G70 Concept – RearView
2012 Suzuki Regina G70 Concept – DashView
2012 Suzuki Regina G70 Concept – InteriorView
Source – Autocar.co.uk
