India’s leading car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki India has officially confirmed that the highly anticipated launch of the companies first MPV Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is scheduled on 11 April 2012 in the Indian market. The price tag that the seven-seater MPV will carry post launch will be decided once the Union Budget 2012-13 concludes on March 16.
The upcoming Union Budget will not only determine the cost of the Ertiga MPV but will also help in determining the number of petrol and diesel variants of the MPV, considering an additional excise tax is anticipated on diesel cars in the Indian market.
This MPV first made its global debut at the 2012 Auto Expo held at New Delhi and evoked tremendous interest in the Indian market as the new MPV marks the entry of the king of small car segment into the high-end multi-purpose vehicle segment. The Ertiga is based on the R-III concept that was first shown at the 2010 Auto Expo in New Delhi.
As per the company, it’s hoping to introduce three variants each in petrol and diesel versions. The diesel variant reportedly, will don the reliable Fiat 1.3-litre multi jet engine that will produce 88PS of power and 200Nm of torque. The petrol variant will feature for the first time in India the K-14 VVT 1.4-litre engine that will generate 94PS of power and 130Nm of torque. The company claimed mileage figure for the petrol variant is expected to be around 10 to 12kmpl and around 20.77kmpl for the diesel variant.
Buoyed with the pre-launch excitement for the Ertiga in the Indian market, Maruti Suzuki is aiming to sell about 5,000 units of this model per month. At present, there is a huge growth potential in the Indian MPV segment. As per the statics revealed by the company, the sales of MPV segment account for about 66 percent share of the total utility vehicle segment in India.
The Ertiga MPV will be manufactured at the company’s facility in Gurgaon and according to recent reports the Ertiga MPV will also be launched in Indonesia after its launch in India. The Indonesia-spec Ertiga will be built from the CKD kits created in India.
Also see – Maruti Suzuki’s next big hopes on Ertiga MPV
