Maruti Suzuki Kizashi, the recently launched sports sedan, has attracted more customers than the company may have anticipated and Maruti doesn’t know what it is doing when it comes up with a new product. The brand name has become very strong and reliable in India that people rely on it. The same goodwill and customer confidence is working wonders for the recently launched luxury sports sedan Maruti Suzuki Kizashi in India. There have been more than 350 bookings for Kizashi within 25 days of its official launch in India.
Mayank Pareekh, Executive Officer (Marketing and Sales), Maruti Suzuki, is reported to have said that bookings for the Kizashi have beaten company expectations. This, when Pareek had refused to commit to a sales target for the Kizashi, during the car’s launch earlier this month. At that time he shrugged off queries regarding the Kizashi’s estimated sales numbers saying, “This segment accounts for only 2.8 percent of the Indian passenger car market in India.”
Bookings for Kizashi have beaten company expectations. This is surely a good sign of buyer’s trust and affinity towards the luxury sports sedan. Maruti Kizashi has been launched on 2nd Feb 2011 with an introductory ex-showroom price of Rs. 16.5 Lakhs for Manual transmission to Rs. 17.5 Lakhs for CVT automatic transmission. The Kizashi is in direct competition with the other luxury sedans like Honda Accord, Skoda Laura, Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Jetta
Currently, the Kizashi is imported from Japan and brought in as a CBU (completely built unit). However, there are speculations that the company may opt for CKD or manufacture the car in India if there’s ample demand. In that case, the Kizashi’s price may drop further making it a more ‘value for money’ luxury sedan.
So far, Maruti Suzuki has not had much success with products in the premium range. Case in point being the Baleno and Grand Vitara. But with Kizashi raking in the numbers, Maruti Suzuki may just be able to shrug off its tag of being a maker of cheap cars and gain respect in the luxury segment.
Also see – Suzuki Kizashi launched
Maruti Suzuki Kizashi – Feb launch
