Maruti & Hyundai also give good discount on their cars

In fact, car sales growth slowed to just 1.6 percent in June. This has prompted automakers to throw away some freebies and discounts to encourage sales. Following Honda’s announcement on Monday which dropped the price of the Honda Jazz by a staggering Rs 1.75 lakh now, Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai have joined the fray. 

• Maruti, India’s #1 auto maker has offers rebates of more than Rs 50,000 on Alto, WagonR and Estilo 
• Hyundai Motor India is offering up to Rs 45,000 discount on its popular i10 and Santro compact cars

Honda is also offering a discount of Rs 50,000 on the Honda City which at some time was the segment leader. This comes after the Japanese automaker revised the prices of the Honda City by Rs 66,000 last month. Meanwhile, the rising interest rates have also been one of the factors responsible for the slowdown in the auto sector.

Car makers like Volkswagen are now encouraging customers to buy the Vento petrol sedan by offering loans 6.99 percent interest rate. German premium car makers like Audi and Mercedes Benz are offering zero interest loans on the Audi A4 sedan and the Mercedes Benz C-Class.

Booking of Old Maruti Suzuki Swift Close as New Swift Arrive

The the moment that most of you have been waiting for is just around the corner. Maruti Suzuki is all set to launch the new Swift in India in one months time. To make way for the new model the company has stopped producing the old Swift and so have the bookings. So if you walk into a Maruti dealership today, the dealers apparently won’t accept bookings for the Swift

Now, according to the The Economic Times, Maruti dealers have started accepting bookings for the new Swift. The new Swifit might get the same 1.3 litre MultiJet diesel sourced from Fiat which is expected to be one of the best sellers. Compared to the old Swift the new model has better interior space thanks to its slightly larger proportions while the overall weight of the car too has gone down without compromising on rigidity.

The new Maruti K-Series engine will also be available a the petrol options to the 1.3 litre diesel. The new K-Series engine has been characterised by improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions. Couple all this to the lighter body of the new Swift and you could have a nimble 90 horsepower hatchback perfect for India. Also, prices of the new car are expected to be around Rs 30,000 higher compared to the outgoing model.

 The main rivals for the new Swift will be Hyundai’s i20 and Volkswagen Polo. Toyota has also entered the fray with the Etios Liva which was recently launched. So as far as competition goes, the Swift won’t come short of any. But history suggests, that the Swift could be a clear winner when it comes to sheer sales numbers.

Maruti Swift delayed from August to October due to Strike in Manesar

The recently concluded strike at Maruti Suzuki seems to have cost the automaker not just loss in production but also seems to have thrown a spanner in it’s new model launch plans. The new Swift, which is set to replace the five year old current model was expected to arrive in early August. But, a 16,000 car production loss will only mean that production of the new Swift will get delayed until the existing orders are serviced.

With Maruti operating at a 108% plant capacity, it is highly unlikely that Maruti will be able to accommodate the new Swift’s production without affecting the other models as it’s scheduled annual plant maintenance kicks in during end June. Since that isn’t too viable an option, a delay in the Swift’s launch now appears inevitable. October could be when the new Swift could be launched as Maruti would require some buffer time to tide over the fortnight of production loss that it has suffered recently due to strike

While the delay in the new Maruti Swift’s launch could put off many potential buyers, who are simply too tired to wait endlessly for the new Swift, a silver lining is the fact that Maruti will launch the new Swift with a 1.3 liter, 90 Bhp K-Series petrol engine that will now feature variable valve timing, So, expect the new Swift to be more powerful, responsive as well as fuel efficient. The diesel model though will come with the same 1.3 Liter multijet diesel engine.

When New Maruti Suzuki Swift will Launch in India

The new Swift could be launch as early as mid June. We expect Maruti to launch the new Swift by July-August. The new Swift is larger than the old model and features all new headlamp and tail lamp design. Maruti Suzuki has neatly rounded off the edgy rear end and profile of the car. The boot has a subtle curve and looks fresh. Engine options would remain unchanged with the 1.2 liter K-Series Petrol engine as well as the 1.3 Liter Fiat Multijet Diesel engine. Recently we reported that Maruti is looking at a smaller diesel engine as well. Since, diesel are in high demand, all automakers are now scrambling to develop new fuel efficient diesel engines.

The feature list on the new Swift could also be a long one with Start-Stop button, first seen in the segment on the Nissan Micra. Keyless entry could also be thrown in on the top-of-the-line variant. We expect customers will line-up for the diesel variant and hence waiting periods could be an issue. However, Maruti Suzuki must also be contemplating the same and will have to see to it that the waiting period does not exceed to much. The long wait is about to get over as the news of the car reaching showrooms surfaces. So those of you who have been patiently waiting for the car that has created so much buzz, well, your chance to get hold of one is just around the corner.