Reference Auto

Ahead of the festive season, Maruti Suzuki is revving up in the mid-hatchback segment (where it is the clear number one player), rolling out the Ritz diesel for a starting price of Rs 5.31 lakh (showroom) and such a variant may help the company scale new heights.

The new Ritz is powered by a 1,248 cc DDiS diesel engine.

The diesel engine comes with a torque of 190 Nm @ 2,000 rpm and an amazing power of 75 ps @ 4,000 rpm along with five-step multi-injection technology for seamless and effortless driving.

Ritz diesel can reach from 0 to 60 km per hour in just 5.9 seconds, a mind blowing feat!

A diesel vehicle is surely going to find many takers in India as it has two advantages: it is not only cheaper compared to a petrol car (petrol prices are at Rs 76 and diesel Rs 50) but also more fuel efficient than petrol variants.

According to Maruti Suzuki, the new Ritz will be 10 per cent more fuel efficient than the petrol version at almost 24 km to a litre.

A company statement said, “A pleasant delight is the 10 per cent boost in mileage from the previous 21.1 km per litre to 23.2 km per litre now for the Ritz diesel. This has been made possible with numerous initiatives by the company’s engineers.”

The new Ritz diesel comes with a litany of changes or 52 changes in precise. Some of them include refurbished front design, multi-information display on instrument panel, new dual tone interiors, new audio system along with USB, rear view mirrors which are electrically adjustable and body side moulding.

Among the new changes are reduced friction engine and calibration optimisation. The new Ritz will come in three new colours: Mystique Red, Granite Grey and Breeze Blue.

With the rollout of the diesel Ritz, the auto giant has introduced the new ZDi variant (top-end version) also which it has priced at Rs 6.23 lakh.

This version comes with features like alloy wheels, dual front air bags and steering audio controls.

Like any other hatch, Ritz has also turned out to be an extremely popular car for Maruti Suzuki and has already surpassed sales of over two lakh in a time period of only three years. The car crossed one lakh sales figure in just 17 months of its roll out.

Maruti Suzuki has the following advantages over any other auto company. Its cars are highly fuel efficient and parts are readily available across the country.

The auto company has also understood the psyche of the Indian customer like no other car major. That is why it is holding on to nearly 50 per cent of the car market in India.

So with a diesel Ritz variant, Maruti Suzuki is set to scale new heights so far as sales as well as earnings go.