Reference Auto

The country’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki is ready to roll out its multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) the Ertiga around mid-April, and with a likely price of Rs 7 lakh to Rs 9 lakh, Maruti’s new car could nibble into the markets of Mahindra’s Xylo and Scorpio, Tata’s Aria as well as Toyota Innova.

The Ertiga will be available in six variants - three diesel models and three petrol versions and be offered in seven colours.

The petrol version of the Ertiga comes with an all new 1.4 litre K-series engine, K-14, which offers a fuel efficiency of 16.02 km per litre, which is quite commendable for an MPV.

The diesel model is propelled by a 1.3 litre DDiS engine with a mileage of 20.77 km per litre – which is high on fuel efficiency also.

With a three-row flexi-seating of 2x3x2, the Ertiga’s length is 4.2 metres, which is a tad less compared with its competitors. For instance, the Innova and Xylo have a length of 4.5 metres.

Ertiga’s top-end model will come with a litany of features like keyless entry, ABS system, two-tone beige interiors as well as steering-mounted audio controls.

Maruti has generally been doing well with its low-end cars (despite a slump now) and vehicles in the high-end category, like the Kizashi and SX4, have not been generating adequate response to satisfy the company.

But with the Ertiga, Maruti Suzuki is eyeing a major share of the utility vehicles market, which currently accounts for almost 15 per cent of passenger vehicle sales in the country.

But the utility vehicles market is a burgeoning one with growth likely to touch over 20 per cent in the next one-two years.

And, judicious pricing can surely help Maruti make its mark in this growing market, which sees an over 25,000 car sales every month.

Maruti Suzuki has seen an overall sales slide of 13 per cent and its small car sales have fallen by 14 per cent. So, the Ertiga could fill in the gap in the swirling MPV market.

“The Ertiga’s first focus will be India. Later, we may roll out the vehicle in Asean nations such as Indonesia,” Mayank Pareek, managing executive officer - sales and marketing - of the company, said.

The Ertiga is based on the Swift platform. The width of the Ertiga is the same as the Swift, which is a tad small for an MPV and the Ertiga’s height has marginally risen to 1,685 mm compared with the Swift’s 1,530 mm.

In 2005, Maruti rolled out the Swift, which has been one of its biggest success stories. But it is unlikely that the car major will replicate this super show with the Ertiga, although the Ertiga could dent the MPV market substantially with its judicious pricing (if that is the case after the prices are announced).