Maruti Suzuki owns one half share of the Indian automobile market. Riding high on the success of the Baleno premium hatchback, Vitara Brezza compact SUV, the Indo-Japanese carmaker witnessed its highest ever monthly sales in July 2017. The Maruti Alto, Wagon R, Swift twins and Ciaz are among other major sales contributors. Talking about the C-segment sedan space, Maruti Suzuki’s Ciaz has been generating volume for the carmaker since its arrival in the Indian market.
In June 2016, the Maruti Ciaz crossed 1 lakh sales milestone in the country. Now, the mid-size sedan has achieved a total sales of over 1.7 units since its launch in 2014.The company has announced that it has been selling the sedan with an average of 5,500 units per month. During the last six months, the Ciaz has registered over 43% contribution in the total sales of the segment. After moving to NEXA, the saloon keeps doing well for the carmaker.
With a monthly sales average of 5,000 units, the arch rival of the Ciaz – Honda City isn’t much behind in the race. However, the Hyundai Verna has been experiencing dull sales with an average of around 500 units in a month. Aiming to keep up its sales game strong, the South Korean carmaker is gearing up to bring in the new-generation of the saloon that will surely be a lot better than the current model.
Maruti Suzuki also will introduce the first facelift of the Ciaz sometime next year. The saloon’s new model will see minor design and features upgrades. Rumour has it that the Ciaz facelift might ditch the existing 1.3L diesel engine for the new 1.5-litre diesel motor.
Recently, the carmaker expanded the Ciaz carline with a new sport variant – Maruti Ciaz S. This new model receives a new sporty body kit and premium black interior over the standard model. The Ciaz S is based on the Alpha trim, and available in both petrol and SHVS fuel options. Priced at Rs 9.39 lakh, this new variant is around Rs 10,000 costlier than the standard Alpha trim.
Currently, the Maruti Ciaz is available with two powertrains – a 1.4-litre petrol and a 1.3-litre diesel engine with SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle from Suzuki). The gasoline unit makes 91bhp with 130Nm and the oil burner offers 88bhp with 200Nm. While the petrol models can be brought either with a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed autobox, the diesel variants are available only with a 5-speed manual transmission.
