As part of exercise to further consolidate its position in the hotly contested big-car segment, Maruti Suzuki — country’s largest car maker, on Wednesday, launched its new entry level sedan Swift DZire.
The introductory price of DZire, which is the seventh model launched by the Maruti Suzuki in the last three year — ranges from Rs 4.49 lakh to Rs 6.7 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
The DZire will have both in diesel and petrol variants powered by 1.3 litre engines. The petrol variant will cost Rs 4.49 to Rs 5.9 lakh and the diesel Rs 5.39 to Rs 6.7 lakh.
Auto analysts feel that DZire has come as replacement of Maruti’s  earlier popular mid-size sedan Esteem. Experts feel with the launch of DZire Maruti will try to consolidate its position in A-3 segment, which of late is witnessing immense competition. Launching the new model, Maruti Suzuki Managing Director S Nakanishi said “it has a special place in our product strategy. With growing incomes and better lifestyle, many of them want to upgrade to a sedan.”
Attractive price
“But today, they are not able to find an entry level sedan that offers style, features and performance. The DZire offers all this, and at an attractive price,” he added. The features of DZire include integrated stereo, steering mounted audio controls, automatic climate control, power windows and dual airbags.
The Dzire project, which started in 2005, is a brand progression of Swift hatchback. It will have diesel engine same as current engine in the Swift hatchback, the 1.3 litre multi-jet engine of Fiat. Eleven engineers from Suzuki worked on the programme of the car that boasts of 60 mm more width in the backseat as compared to the Swift hatch along with 30 kg increase in weight.
The design of the car was done for as low as Rs 30 crore since the platform for the vehicle was about same as the existing Swift hatch. The diesel engine of Fiat on the hatch has been carried forward for the sedan and the petrol engine is the same as the one in Esteem with minor modification.
With Swift Dzire, competition in the lower A3 segment is expected to hot up in the segment, which currently is dominated by Mahindra Renault’s Logan and Tata Motors’ Indigo.
Tata Motors offers its lowest sedan model Indigo CS between Rs 3.66 lakh and Rs 4.34 lakh, and Indigo XL going up to Rs 7.38 lakh. Logan petrol version starts at Rs 3.89 lakh and goes up to Rs 5.02 lakh, while that of diesel begins with Rs 5.72 lakh and going up to Rs 6.63 lakh.