Maruti plans new WagonR with K series engine

According to information accessed by Deccan Herald, Maruti spent around eight months and Rs 290 crore on the new platform for New WagonR that will be nationally launched on April 23, 2010 at price slightly higher than the present model.

The new WagonR under its hood will have a new generation 998cc (or one litre) three-cylinder K10B engine developed by Suzuki about a year ago. This K series engine, presently being used in 5 Maruti cars, is superior on two counts: it is more powerful and has higher fuel efficiency. This engine delivers a power of 68PS @ 6200rpm and a high torque of 90Nm @ 3500 rpm. Maruti will claim that the new engine will run 18.9 kilometers per litre under the standard driving conditions.

Superior transmission

Maruti has also stretched the new WagonR in its dimension to create more space inside. The overall length of the car is now increased to 3,595 mm with a wheelbase of 2,400 mm. Width and height of the new WagonR has also gone up — 1,495 mm and 1,700 mm respectively.

The new WagonR is thus roomier with larger cabin space, increased leg-room for all passengers and larger boot

One of the weaknesses of existing WagonR is that the gear-shift is very stiff. As the new WagonR comes with cable-type transmission technology, Maruti claims that the 5-speed manual gear with synchromesh is equipped with precise gear shift mechanism. This is expected to reduce the gear sifting effort due to minimal mechanical losses.  Other features are: fitment of a new L-shaped front suspension for improved ride comfort, tiltable steering, electrical outside rear view mirror, superior AC for faster cooling and tubeless tyres. Externally, the new car will flaunt a new grill and bigger and sweeping headlamps with blue tint giving it a refreshing new look.

The new launch is certainly aimed at refreshing Maruti’s second largest car model, its ‘Alto’ is the highest selling car in the industry, selling 13,000 WagonR a month. It will help Maruti face increased competition in the compact car segment which saw five new launches from other car makers in the last 15 months.

The company hopes that along with its five existing models (A Star, Ritz, Estillo, Swift and Swift Dzire), New WagonR will help lift its market share in the compact car segment from present 56 per cent. Incidentally, compact car segment is the hottest accounting for 74 per cent of the 15.27 lakh Indian car market that grew 25 per cent sales in 2009-10.