Maruti Suzuki is set to roll out its new Maruti A-Star in India in mid-November. It is now gearing up to launch its another hatchback model, Suzuki Splash by early 2009. The new car will be positioned between Zen Estillo and Maruti Swift and will be priced around Rs 3.5 lakh. Speculations are rife that it may replace Wagon R in India but there is no official word about it from the company officials.
Maruti A-Star will be launched as Suzuki Alto in the European market and the new Splash will also have European style design. It will be available in 2 petrol models and one diesel model. The petrol models will be powered by 3 cylinder 1L engine delivering 165bhp and 4 cylinder 1.2L engine that delivers 86bhp. The diesel model will have 4 cylinder multi-jet 1248cc engine delivering 75bhp @ 400rpm.
It will have 5 speed manual gearbox and the controversial CO2 emission cap of 140g/km. Maruti will manufacture Splash at its Manesar plant in Gurgaon and will fall under the small car category due to its length. Since the car is less than 4m in length, it will also avail excise benefits in India. It will have all other standard features like ABS, airbags, brakes assist, ASP, etc. Overall, the car comes with attractive styling, compact dimensions, responsive handling and good quality.
