New Delhi, January 6, 2012: Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India Limited unveiled India’s first compact Multi Purpose Vehicle – ERTIGA here today.

Ertiga’s compact dimensions make it easy to park and maneuver. Its active and dynamic stance from the outside, and the quality fit and finish and features in the interiors, enhances its appeal among customers. Ertiga will be offered in both petrol and diesel versions.

The glistening `Serene Blue’ compact MPV was unveiled by Mr. Kenichi Ayukawa, Deputy Executive General Manager, Global Marketing, Suzuki Motor Corporation and Mr. Shinzo Nakanishi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited.

Speaking at the unveiling Mr. Kenichi Ayukawa said, “Suzuki Motor Corporation has taken the opportunity of the Delhi Auto Show to showcase models that hold our message as a compact car manufacturing expert. This is because the event has been getting more and more prominence and importance in the global automotive industry. India is one of the countries that has been drawing increasing attention from the world.

“Through the Ertiga, XA Alpha and all the other cars on display at this pavilion we want to deliver a message of our brand philosophy of – Way of Life”.

Managing Director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki Mr. Shinzo Nakanishi said, “The global premier of the Utility Vehicle portfolio at the Auto Expo is an iconic event as it is a reflection of the Company’s preparedness for the future competitive scenario. The Ertiga brings space, style and compactness to Utility vehicles for customers in India. As India gears to be amongst the largest global automobile markets by 2020, with the foray into UV segment, Maruti Suzuki will strengthen its leadership position in the industry. With Ertiga the Maruti Suzuki will step into the Utility Vehicle segments and effectively create a new Compact MPV segment in India.”

Compact MPV segment

The Utility Vehicle (UV) segment accounts for around 14 per cent of the Indian automobile industry, a 66 per cent (two third) of these are Multi-Purpose Vehicles (MPV), the segment where Ertiga is positioned. In the Indian automobile industry, the MPV is the fastest growing sub-segment amongst UVs showing a growth of around 15 per cent in the last four years. At the same time Utility Vehicles segment (MPV + SUV) have shown a growth rate of over 12 per cent in the last four years.

The Ertiga is launched in India with an aim to pioneer a new market of compact 3-row vehicles.

Theme of togetherness

Ertiga is a bold and aggressive initiative, wherein company’s designers have carefully built in `features and attributes’ of a sedan in a compact MPV to evolve a next generation vehicle.

Built on the central theme of ‘togetherness’, Ertiga is an interesting mobility solution for young dynamic confident Indian who want to retain individuality yet retain Indian custom of ‘togetherness’.

Ertiga’s compact proportions are its uniqueness and give the users excellent flexibility to park and maneuver even in congested lanes and by-lanes of metros and semi-urban cities.

Ertiga has been crafted to address the need of evolving Indian customer for individual day-to-day running, unwinding with family on a weekend shopping, dining, fun time with colleagues and friends and long weekend leisure drives etc. Ertiga fits the best with this positioning as its compact size offers optimized seating for any urban family.

Conceptualizing the Ertiga

Though an MPV, Ertiga retains characteristics of a passenger car – it is stylish, sporty and has an elegant appearance. With an active and dynamic stance that delivers energy, the youthful Ertiga is an example of innovative use of space.

The key styling of the Ertiga revolves around the basic elements of Passenger car characteristics, Ertiga’s powerful road presence with an assurance of safety that complements Suzuki’s strong Identity.

Compact yet Spacious

The Ertiga is distinguished by its compact dimensions (overall length: 4265mm, overall width: 1695mm, overall height: 1685mm). The bold and aggressive stance complemented by the 2740 mm wheel base along with 15 inch alloy wheels combined with a strong shoulder thick section gives Ertiga an absolute power of presence.

Interiors – Redefining driving pleasure

The plush and premium interiors of Ertiga exude confidence, elegance, class, versatile character and agility. The interiors offer a host of new features such as a 3-spoke, tilt adjustable electric steering, twin AC, audio system (USB Compatible, 4+2 speakers), steering mounted audio controls, central door locking and keyless entry, multi information display, power windows with auto down and electrically adjustable mirror. The feature rich Ertiga is sure to delight the customer looking for rich features in the MPV.

Introducing the K-14 VVT engine first time on Ertiga

The all new powerful and light weight K-14 VVT petrol engine will debut on Ertiga. In that way it’s also a global unveiling and extension of the `K’ family engines. In addition, the Ertiga’s diesel variant will be powered by the acclaimed 1.3 litre DDiS Super Turbo diesel engine.

Class leading Performance and Efficiency

The Indian specification Ertiga with a petrol engine delivers a peak performance of 70kw@6000rpm and a maximum torque of 130Nm @ 4000rpm. The Certified fuel efficiency (as per CMV Rule 155, India cycle) of Petrol Ertiga is a top of the class 16.02 km per litre.

The Ertiga with the high powered Diesel engine in India will deliver a peak power of 66kw@4000rpm and a top end torque of 200Nm@1750rpm. The Certified fuel efficiency (CMV Rule 155, India cycle) of Diesel Ertiga is a class leading 20.77 km per litre.

Versatile seating

The Ertiga offers a three-row flexi-seating options for 7 passengers (2x3x2) that is easier to operate and is high on storage space. Each row of the car has been designed keeping in mind the occupants seating requirements; whether for an individual’s day-to-day business commitments or for a family’s weekend shopping, dining or week end drives.

Kolkata: French auto major Renault will launch one model later this year and three more models next year in India, a top executive of the company said Thursday.

“We will launch Koleos, an SUV variety, in India in October this year. And three more cars will be launched in 2012,” Renault India Private Limited vice president, sales and marketing, Len Curran told reporters after launching luxury sedan ‘Fluence’ here.

“We are looking at 2.5 percent market share in the country by 2013. India is one of the three key strategic countries for Renault. To need to be a serious player in the country, we have to catch 5 percent market share… it is our long-term plan,” he said.

He said the Indian car market was coming towards the premium European products.

The company was looking at the opportunity to launch light commercial vehicles (LCVs) in the country.

Renault and Nissan have an alliance greenfield manufacturing facility in Chennai.

“This is the first new greenfield manufacturing plant for Renault and Nissan alliance. The capacity of the plant is 400,000 cars per year. Total investment made is Rs.5,000 crore,” Curran said.

Stating that currently the company had 14 dealers across the country, he said the number of dealers will increased to 40 by the end of this year and 100 by the end of next year.

Mumbai/Kochi: Leena Jacob, an IT professional based in Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram, is delighted with her Tata Nano. The small car, she says, proves very useful and convenient for city driving. The other two cars in the family garage: a Honda City and a Maruti Swift.

“I am afraid of taking my Honda City into the heavily congested city roads, but the Nano is very convenient,” she said. The main advantage, according to Jacob, is its ease of handling and small size, letting her park in half the space of the Honda City.

In Mumbai, S P Shah, director-general, Federation of Automobile Dealers’ Association, is waiting for Nano bookings to start again. “I drive a Honda City to office every day and find it very cumbersome to park. I will definitely buy a Nano when bookings reopen,” said Shah.

Jacob and Shah are not alone. According to Tata dealers in various cities and towns, nearly 60-80 per cent of Nano buyers already own one or even two cars, but still prefer to purchase another small car. That is why it is not uncommon to spot a chauffeur-driven Nano on Peddar Road, which houses some of Mumbai’s richest denizens.

While Tata Motors does not share customer profiles, a leading dealer in Delhi who sells both Tata and Fiat vehicles, confirmed: “Around 70 per cent of Nano buyers already have a car. They purchase a Nano for different reasons: to pick up children from school or go to crowded markets. The age profile could vary, from those in their 20s to 50s.”

A dealer in Mumbai reiterates the point, saying around 60 per cent of those that booked a Nano already had a car in the family.

The fact that, in most cases, it is not a first-time car buyer moving up from a two-wheeler to a Nano is reflected in the fact that just 20 per cent of the 100,000 Nanos booked so far were the standard, no-frills version. “I use the Nano on short trips, like to the station and back, or to similar crowded areas as manoeuvring or parking the car is very simple. But, I prefer driving my wife’s Maruti Zen Estilo for longer journeys,” said Mumbaikar Ashok Vichare, the first buyer of the Nano.

Booking trends are the same in Kerala, where Tata Motors successfully cashed in on Onam — the state’s biggest festival — by promising to deliver the car within 30 days. The new buyers range from well-heeled IT professionals to housewives, who already have a hatchback or a sedan in the family. Tata Motors reopened Nano bookings from August 1 in Kerala. Says R S Murali, sales coordinator at R S Motors in Kochi: “People booking the car are between the ages of 30 and 45, and mostly have a car in the family already. We have booked 1,000 Nanos since August 1.”

In overcrowded cities, the Nano is emerging the vehicle of choice for daily commuting for its agility, practicality and fuel efficiency. Shorter than the Maruti 800, but roomier inside, the Nano delivers 23 km a litre. In addition, buyers also speak highly about its design and styling, which they consider far better than the Maruti 800, which costs around 55 per cent more.

Ironically, many had expected the Nano to eat into sales of two-wheelers, especially motorbikes, compelling companies like Bajaj Auto to manufacture its version of the small car. But the expected change has not happened.

Says S Sridhar, chief executive (two-wheelers), Bajaj Auto: “When you put out a low-cost car in the market, consumers immediately compare it with a two-wheeler. But 30 per cent of two-wheeler buyers are students looking for something sporty. The balance of customers is from B- and C-class towns, where road conditions are poor and the maintenance cost of a car is higher than that of a motorcycle.”

Nevertheless, Bajaj Auto is working on a low-cost car. But, it is looking at a car whose running costs will be low because of higher fuel efficiency.

One of the main reasons why the Nano hasn’t pulled consumers looking for the first car, said auto experts, is because of the poor exposure the car has received since it was unveiled, which could have defined its road worthiness. “The performance of the vehicle cannot be evaluated now, because it is too short a period to have a clear idea on its performance,” says Baiju N Nair, chief editor, Overtake, a local auto magazine in Kerala.

Swaraj Baggonkar & George Jospeh
Business Standard (Web & Print Edition)