New Maruti Estilo: Old hatchback Car in new form

On August 25, 2009, Maruti Suzuki Ltd. launched its refurbished hatchback, Maruti Estilo. Yes, it is supposed to be Maruti Zen Estilo but Maruti dropped the “Zen” prefix for the new car. Maruti Zen, the five door hatchback model, was launched in 1993. It was one of the most popular cars of that time. The Zen was relaunched as Zen Estilo in 2006 but failed to emulate the success of its predecessor. Fast forward 2009, Maruti Suzuki comes up with Maruti Suzuki Estilo- a new car, with better features, better engine and better performance.

The new Maruti Suzuki Estilo hatchback will be manufactured at the company’s Gurgaon plant where it also produces its “A-Star” and “Ritz” models. The new car provides a fuel efficiency of 18.2 kmpl. The company is looking forward to sell 3,000-4,000 units per month.

If you are looking for a small family car that is reliable and provides great comfort and safety, then you should go for this one. The new Maruti Estilo is worth your money all the way. I love small cars because they are easy to park and take little space. The new Maruti Estilo is not a mere facelift but serious renovation coming with five speed Detent Pin technology transmission, airbag and ABS, foldable rear seats, electrically adjustable ORVM, remote keyless entry system, power windows and steering, front and rear fog lamps and many more. The car is placed in the A2 compact segment, a niche where Maruti is at the top with a 58% market share.

Zigwheels.com says:

Gone are the flat-pan looks, for the front now comes with redesigned headlights that are in line with the Suzuki family design (read as Swift, Ritz and A-Star). The car also has a new grill that almost smiles at you and a bold new bumper with integrated fog lamps that have a 'sculpted look'. The front fenders have also been revised slightly. Overall the front fascia gets a muscular overtone that does brighten up the front end of the car as well as lends towards a younger personality.

According to Carwale.com the advantages of the new Maruti Suzuki Estilo are: mileage, reliability, comfort, and fit and finish. The disadvantages are: dull interiors, boxy looks, and handling. It further says:

The high stance, small wheels, and wheelbase may set you back, but it does manage a good and nimble ride and feel. On the outset the steering does feel sensitive but responsive. But is a good addition to weave through the traffic and easy to drive around the city without undue strain. The 1.1l engine is good enough with 65bhp at 6200rpm. The chassis is a little suspect at high speed with considerable body roll. Even though it is composed the small tyres and tall stance do ask a lot from the moving parts.

The new Maruti Suzuki Estilo is a very much environment friendly car. It is fitted with a 1.1 litre petrol engine. The Gurgaon plant of Maruti Suzuki currently produces the K-series engines that are Bharat Stage-III, Bharat Stage-IV and Euro-V emission norms compliant. The Financial Express says:

The new 998 CC petrol car is equipped with the latest K-series engines, on the lines of the company's other small cars -- A-Star and Ritz.

"Product upgradation is an integral part of Maruti Suzuki's business strategy and future plans. This is a way to include feedback from the customers and offer better products that match their tastes," Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director and CEO Shinzo Nakanishi said.

Dimensions, weight and color:

• Length- 3600 mm
• Width- 1475 mm (LX/LXi), 1495mm (VXi)
• Height- 1595 mm.
• Kerb weight- 845kg (LX, LXi), 865kg (VXi)
• Gross vehicle weight: 1275 kg.
• Color- Superior white, silky silver, dusky brown, ecru beige, quantum orange, bright red, emerald blue, midnight black.

Chassis and other:

• Tread (Front)- 1295 mm.
• Tread (Rear)- 1290 mm.
• Turning radius- 4.6 m
• Wheelbase- 2360 mm.
• Ground clearance- 165 mm
• Rear suspension- Coil spring, gas filled shock absorbers with three link rigid and isolated trailing arm.
• Front suspension- McPherson strut with Torsion type roll control device
• Tyre size- 145/70 R13 (LX, LXi), 155/65 R13 (VXi).
• Tyre type- Tubeless.
• Fuel tank capacity- 35 litre.

Engine:

• Maximum power (PS/rpm)- 68 PS @ 6200 rpm
• Maximum torque (Nm/rpm)- 90 Nm @ 3500 rpm
• Engine- K10B.
• Engine capacity- 998 cc.
• Engine type- 3 cylinder.
• Transmission-5-speed manual transmission. Business Standard Motoring.com says:

A new transmission also promises better and more precise shifting. This transmission is a first among all Maruti products, the manufacturer claims. This product will be positioned in the A2 compact segment where Maruti Suzuki has a huge 58 percent market share.

The three-cylinder 66 bhp engine is the same engine that features in the A-Star and its lovely modern powerplant that we think will do wonders for the Estilo. The earlier generation of engines was also struggling to pass BS IV emission norms, so an engine upgrade was due.

• Drive- Two wheel drive.
• Clutch type- Dry, single disc, diaphragm type.

Safety and security features:

• Front brake type- Ventilated disc.
• Rear brake type- Drum disc.
• Anti-lock Braking System: ABS technology gives better control and handling.
• Airbags- Available only in VXi version.
• TESS-TOTAL EFFECTIVE STRENGTH STRUCTURE- Offers further safety to the passengers.
• Sculpted front and rear fog lamps- Not only add up to overall style of the car but also offers better visibility.
• Integrated key with central locking
• Anti-Theft Security alarm

Comfort and convenience:

• Rear wiper washer ensures clear rear view.
• Foldable rear seats gives more boot space so to carry big objects and extra luggage.
• Rear parcel tray makes it storage very easy.
• Illuminated instrument cluster with silver lining.
• Four power windows that can be controlled with four buttons located near the driver’s seat.
• Electronically adjustable outside rear view mirror.
• Cable Type Gear shift mechanism with Detent Pin Technology (DPT) ensures smooth riding and precise gear shifting.
• Electronic power assisted steering: Provides better handling and requires low maintenance.
• Remote keyless entry system.

Price:

The new Maruti Zen Estillo is available in three variation- Lx, Lxi and Vxi- priced between Rs.3.12 lacs and 3.95 lacs. For more information about the price in your state, check out the official website of Maruti Suzuki Estilo.

The all new Grand Vitara from Maruti Suzuki

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The new Maruti Grand Vitara has come to India

On July 4, 2009, Maruti Suzuki released its latest version SUV Maruti Grand Vitara. The first Grand Vitara was launched by Suzuki in 1999. The 2009 rand Vitara will be available with a 2.4 liter petrol engine in both manual and automatic transmission. Till date, Suzuki sold more than 2.5 million Grand Vitara all over the world.

The new Grand Vitara comes in two different engines. For the first time, it will be available with a four cylinder engine. The second option is a powerful V6 engine larger than the one used in Grand Vitara in 2008. The 3.2 liter V6 engine is bigger and more powerful and it offers great fuel economy. Mayank Pareek, Executive Officer (Marketing & Sales) Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. said that Grand Vitara is one of the strategic models in Suzuki range and the new Grand Vitara 2.4 is the best SUV in its class that is available at a highly competitive price. The new Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara is priced at Rs. 16.67 lakh.

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Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. observed sales increase in June 2009

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (MSIL), the top passenger car maker of India, registered a 22.6% increase in its June sales, the company reported on July 1, 2009. This is the sixth straight monthly sales rise for the company. In June 2009, the Maruti sold 75,109 units against 61, 247 units in June 2008. Out of this amount, the company exported 13,336 units. It is also the highest monthly export volume in the history of MSIL.

This growth was led by the companies A2 segment cars like Alto, Wagon-R, Zen, Swift, and A-Star and its newly launched Maruti Ritz. The Maruti A-Star hatchback was launched in November 2007 and received great response in Germany, the UK, Netherlands, Spain, and France. Maruti Suzuki launched Maruti Ritz in May 2009.

Sales in the A2 segment increased 22.2%. In total, the company sold 46,156 units in this segment in June 2009 against 37,767 units in June 2008. Sales in the A3 segment comprising of SX4 and D’Zire grew 5% and C segment sales fell 1.1%.

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Maruti Suzuki’s new car will have Maruti Zen Estilo, WagonR, Alto-M800-A-Star, and Ritz platform

Few months ago, news came out that Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (MSIL) is going to launch a car entirely made in India. Well, for the time being, the company is not going to produce any new Indian car. Due to its insufficient engineering strengt, MSIL decided to build the new car on its existing platform of WagonR, Zen Estilo, Alto-M800-A-Star and Swift Ritz. Only after the success of this car, the company will think of developing a car entirely in India and if everything goes well, then Suzuki Motor Corp. will outsource its entire small car operation in India.

Developing a new car from the scratch is quite expensive. Developing the platform of a new car makes up a significant portion of the entire production cost of the car. More over, the Indian car market could not fully recover from the economic recession. At such a critical situation, Maruti is trying its best to save money.

The development process of the car started more than a year ago at MSIL’s R&D facility in Gurgaon and by 2010, the company is looking forward to deploy one thousand engineers in the project. According to Maruti Suzuki officials, they have already finished the basic sketch of the car and working on other aspects of the design and in talks with machinery parts suppliers.

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Maruti Ritz specifications: A quick look

(This entry was originally uploaded on May 2009.)

On May 15, 2009, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. launched its latest hatchback car, Maruti Ritz. The car is the first one to follow BS-IV emission norms. In my previous posts, I gave you all the news about the launch of Maruti Ritz. In this post, I am giving all the specifications and features of Maruti Suzuki Ritz.

• Name: Maruti Ritz
• Model variants: Maruti Ritz comes in three Petrol variants includeing Lxi, Vxi and Zxi. The two diesel variants including Ldi and Vdi.
• Length: 3715mm
• Width: 1680 mm
• Height: 1620 mm
• Wheelbase: 2360 mm
• Ground clearance: 170 mm
• Turning circle radius: 4.7 meters
• Kerb weight: Lxi (1005 kgs); Vxi (1015 kgs); Zxi (1030 kgs); Ldi (1100 kgs); Vdi (1110 kgs).
• Seating capacity: 5
• Fuel tank capacity: 43 litres
• Brakes: Maruti Ritz comes with ventilated discs on its front wheels and drum discs on rear wheels.
• Tyres: The Zxi variant supports 185/70 R 14 size. On the other hand, all the other variants run on 165/80 R 14.
• Colors: Fire brick red, bakers chocolate, blue blaze, silky silver, racing green, glistering grey, midnight black, and superior white.

Maruti Ritz design:

The car is designed following the “tall boy philosophy.” The high roof makes the car appear more spacious. The exterior and interior design has been done by Suzuki Motor Corp.’s design team in Europe. It is then taken through three design clinics. In addition, test laboratories in Japan, Europe, and India carried out various tests including engine dyno, wind tunnel, cold/hot chambers, and emissions lab.

Maruti Ritz Interior:

Like the exterior, the interior of the Maruti Ritz is designed to give you comfort and a feel of liveliness and luxury. Just because it is a compact car does not mean that it has not enough luggage space. The 60:40 rear seat split enables you to increase your boot space when you are driving with extra luggage. In addition, the high roof line and adjustable seats makes the car very comfortable. The two tone dashboard and the waterfall console with silver lining will make you feel like you are driving an expensive brand car.

Maruti Ritz Exterior:

The roof line of the Maruti Ritz flows in arc and the rear vertical gives it a high aerodynamic efficiency which enables the car to remain steady at high speeds and reduces drag. The car also looks very sporty and the crease lines on the sides add up to its youthful look. The boomerang tail lights ensure high visibility at night. The Vxi and Zxi models of the car come with front fog lamps and rear fog lamps which enables the driver to drive in difficult weather conditions. The alloy wheels not only increase Maruti Ritz’s style quotient but also provides better stability.

Maruti Ritz Engine:

Maruti Ritz is powered by the lightweight and fuel efficient K12M engine. The petrol version of the engine has a fuel efficiency of 17.7 kmpl. The engine can pickup very quickly for its high power and torque. The engine oil is not required to be changed before 10000 km. The spark plugs have a life span of 40,000 km. The DDis technology diesel engine has a fuel efficiency of 21 kmpl and offers low engine noise.

Cylinder: 4 (diesel and petrol).

Engine CC: 1197cc (petrol) 1248 cc(diesel)

Maximum power: 85ps@6000 rpm (petrol) and 75ps@4000 rpm.

Maximum torque: 113 Nm@4500 rpm (petrol) and 190 Nm@ 2000 rpm.

Some more features of Maruti Ritz:

• The Maruti Ritz comes with iCATs.
• The Maruti Ritz has central locking
• The Maruti Ritz comes with child lock.
• The Maruti Ritz has dual airbags.
• The Maruti Ritz has front ELR seat belt with pretensioner.
• The Maruti Ritz comes with front and rear fog lamps.
• The Maruti Ritz comes with body colored bumpers.
• The Maruti Ritz has OVRM feature to control side mirros.
• The Maruti Ritz comes with hub caps.
• The Maruti Ritz comes with full wheel covers.
• The Maruti Ritz has alloy wheels.
• The Maruti Ritz has rear window defogger.
• The Maruti Ritz has rear wiper and washer.
• The Maruti Ritz comes with air-conditioner.
• The Maruti Ritz has power steering.
• The Maruti Ritz has double horn.
• The Maruti Ritz comes with fabric insert on door trim.
• The Maruti Ritz has front and rear door power windows.
• The Maruti Ritz comes with tilt steering
• The Maruti Ritz has audio control mounted on steering wheel.
• The Maruti Ritz comes with keyless entry system.
• The Maruti Ritz comes with foldable grip assistant.
• The Maruti Ritz has adjustable front seat head restraint and rear seat head restraint.
• The Maruti Ritz comes with roof antenna.
• The Maruti Ritz comes with ashtray.
• The Maruti Ritz comes with cup holder in console.
• The Maruti Ritz comes clock.
• The Maruti Ritz comes with tachometer.
• The Maruti Ritz has seatbelt reminder for driver seat.
• The Maruti Ritz comes with door ajar warning lamp.
• The Maruti Ritz has seat back pocket.
• The Maruti Ritz has front seat under tray.
• The Maruti Ritz has radio and CD with speakers.
• The Maruti Ritz comes with parcel tray.
• The Maruti Ritz has seat height adjuster (driver side).
• The Maruti Ritz comes with accessory socket.
• The Maruti Ritz has cigar lighter.
• The Maruti Ritz comes with anti-glare interior rear view mirror.

Related articles:

Maruti Suzuki Ritz official website

Maruti Ritz launch: Some information

(This entry was originally uploaded on May 2009.)

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. today launched its latest premium compact car, Maruti Ritz, today. A hatchback car, Maruti Suzuki launched both petrol and diesel version of Maruti Ritz. The price starts from Rs.3,90,000 to Rs.4,99,000.

Shinzo Nakanishi, Managing director and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., told reporters that Maruti Ritz is the fifth global model introduced by Suzuki Motor Corporation. and it is the first car in India to meet the Bharat Stage-IV emission norms. Both the diesel and petrol variants of the car will follow the emission norms. Mr. Nakanishi hopes that the car will yield great result for the company. Maruti Suzuki has no plans to export the car at this moment.

The design of the car adopts the “tallboy” philosophy and it is positioned for the A2 market segment. Overall, Maruti Ritz design adopts European style. India is one of the major markets for small cars. When we think of small cars, naturally we think of cheap cars that can be bought by people with tight budgets. When Maruti Suzuki started its operation in India, it produced low cost cars. The Maruti Suzuki 800, the first car launched by the company, was a low priced car which became immensely success and revolutionized the Indian auto industry. Though launched in 1984, Maruti Suzuki 800 still generates respectable amount of revenue for the company. Maruti decided to scrap the production of Maruti Suzuki 800 but later decided to upgrade its engine to meet India’s new emission norms.

However, things have changed a lot in India. With the rising economy and rapidly expanding capacity of the Indian middle class, people are not looking for low priced cars anymore. Indians living in large metropolis are going for compact cars that are stylish, well designed, offer more comfort and good driving experience. The year 2009 will be marked as the year of India’s transition toward premium compact cars. Many companies are going to launch their own premium compact cars this year and in the earlier part of 2010. For instance, Honda Motors will launch Honda Jazz, Fiat will launch Fiat Grande Punto. Hyundai Motor Company, which already launched successful compact cars like Hyundai Santro, Hyundai i10 and Hyundai Getz, is going to launch Hyundai i20. Initially, Hyundai Motors planned to sell 1,000 units of Hyundai i20 every month but the demand has already doubled and Hyundai expects to see further increase in the demand.

Maruti Ritz has been developed on the platform of Maruti Swift which enabled the company to offer the car at a lower price. In addition, a large portion of the parts of the car were produced in India.

Mr. Nakanishi said that MSIL has not fixed any sales target for the car yet because it it is tough to predict the future trend in a highly competitive car market like India. Moreover, the country is now coming out from economic recession. However, Mr. Nakanishi said that his company has all the capabilities to meet the requirements.

The petrol version of Ritz would be available in three variants with price tags ranging from Rs.3,90,000 to Rs.4,80,000. The diesel run Maruti Ritz will come in two variants priced between Rs.4,65,000 and Rs.4,99,000. The prices are introductory offers and subject to change at a later date.

The launch of the new car also drove up Maruti Suzuki’s share prices. Today, shares of Maruti Suzuki observed an intraday high of Rs.852 and intraday low of Rs.837.25.

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Maruti Ritz Reviews in Different Websites

(This entry was originally posted on May 2009.)

On May 15, 2009, Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), the largest car maker in India launched its latest hatchback car Maruti Ritz. Maruti Ritz is the fifth global model launched by Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. after Swift, Grand Vitara, SX4 and A-Star. In September 2006, at the Paris Motor Show, Suzuki presented a concept of the company’s future production concept, “Project Splash.” It received positive response which motivated Akira Kamio and his team to develop Ritz.

India is one of the emerging markets for auto mobiles. Small cars are very much popular in India. Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) is one of the pioneers of small cars in India. The company produced Maruti Suzuki 800, the first mass produced small car in India which revolutionized the Indian auto industry. Though the car needs some major upgrades, it is still the first choice of many Indian families. With the rising economy, taste of Indian people has also changed. Instead low priced small cars, they are now looking for small cars, that looks sporty, stylish, and offer lots of comfort features. With that end in mind, Maruti Suzuki launched Maruti Ritz. Here is a review of Maruti Ritz from different websites:

Autos.maxabout.com gives Maruti Ritz a ratings of four out of five. It says:

Unlike traditional hatchbacks, the rear end has allowed for a thicker C-pillar and made provision for a smaller quarter glass that is not very different from the Swift. With an overall width of 1.68 metres, the Ritz is 8cm wider than the Wagon R+. Smartly shaped headlights give it a friendly appearance, and they combine with a trapezoidal grille to form a “face” that reflects the new Suzuki family identity.

The Suzuki brand emblem proudly takes its place in the centre of the grille, and the entire front end of the car incorporates energy-absorbing structures for pedestrian protection.

Maruti Suzuki offers lots of interior space. Four people can easily fit and if necessary there is room for one more. The rear sits are set higher than the front seats so that all the occupants can get a good view. zigwheels.com says:

The large hatchback segment is proliferating and Maruti Suzuki being the small car segment leader has cleverly engineered the Ritz to be bang on the money keeping in mind its likely rivals already on the market as well as those which it will have to deal with in the coming month! Already the Swift encounters competition in the form of the Hyundai i20 and the Skoda Fabia at the upper end of the spectrum while others like the brilliantly conceived Tata Indica Vista resides along side it.

The Maruti Ritz is fitted with K12M engine which follows the BS-IV emission norm. Webhush.com says:

The roomy Maruti Ritz runs on K12M which is 1197 cc low-weight all-aluminum 4-cylindered engine (4 valves a cylinder) integrated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The engine does 85 PS of power at 6000 rpm and torque will be 113 Nm @ 4500rpm – implying Ritz can fly on roads, I mean it! FLY ON ROADS. The K12M engine also gives pretty low emissions so its the earth lovers’ car. The ground clearance is raised by over 30mm as compared to its international clone Splash so to make it suitable for the pothole laden Indian road conditions.

edmunds.com says:

Under the hood of the gasoline version is Maruti’s new 1.2-liter K-series four-cylinder engine, rated at 85 horsepower and 84 pound-feet of torque. The diesel is the same exceptional Fiat 1.3 Multijet, delivering 74 hp and 140 lb-ft.

With a stiff chassis and a well-engineered suspension, the Ritz tackles Indian roads with aplomb. Maruti has raised and softened the suspension on the Ritz more than on the Swift, which translates into better comfort, even on poor surfaces. Whereas the softer Ritz doesn’t feel as enthusiastic to drive as the Swift, it is leagues better than Maruti’s other tall boy, the Wagon R.

24timepass.com says:

Maruti A-Star is a type from the group of ‘end of the life vehicle’ (ELV), it would provide better comfort for four sitters, and can also accommodate five. The expected price range of Maruti Ritz is between Rs.4-5 lakh.These parts include steering wheel, gear knob, door handles and the indicator switches. It is expected that the New Maruti Ritz will be available in two different petrol engines and other is a single diesel engine. For the available two petrol engines of the car one is available in 1000cc displacement with 65 bhp available in 3-cylinder etc,

Motorbeam.com says:

The Ritz has been described by Suzuki as a multi-utility vehicle that will likely appeal to those with small families and a limited budget. The car may replace the Wagon R, though Maruti is yet to confirm that. The car shall also come with Maruti Suzuki’s standard set of safety features like ABS, airbags, brake assist, etc some of which may be trimmed for India, to keep costs into consideration. Also the engine & transmission options may vary for India for the petrol versions. Ritz is going to be yet another winner form Suzuki, after Swift, SX4 and the Swift Dzire.

ritzmaruti.in says:

Maruti Ritz can be called a roomy car for four passengers. However, seating five is not really a problem unlike the Alto.The height although lesser than WagonR gives very good head room.

Storage for The front console includes a flip lid box, a glove compartment and a tray.The hatch is smaller though but it has a hidden space for the spare wheel just like the Swifts.

The Congress led UPA has just come to power and it brought major stability and assurance among the business community. Today, the Indian sharemarket observed its record high surge. The Congress which was previously in power will continue with its economic reform. It will attract more foreign investment and focus on economic growth. Well, at this moment, it is not possible to say what will happen but the hope is there and Maruti Ritz have to make the best use of it and it has all the elements to do so.

Maruti Ritz images and pictures

(This entry was originally uploaded on May 2009.)

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. is a pioneer in the Indian auto industry. Not only it is one of the biggest automakers in India but the first company that mass produced vehicles that changed the face Indian auto industry. The company produced Maruti Suzuki 800 and Maruti Suzuki Omni, two of the most popular cars in India. The cars were first launched in 1984 and even today these two models are very much popular in India. Though there are many different car models in the market, many people still prefer these two models for their lower prices and easy availability of spare parts. Even today, in rural and semi-rural areas, many families buy Maruti Suzuki 800 and Maruti Suzuki Omni.

On May 15, 2009, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (MSIL) is going to launch Maruti Ritz, its seventh car in the A2 segment car. The car is shorter in length but it’s tall design makes the car more roomy and comfortable. The car is designed to attract the young consumers. The car comes with a macho design on the exterior. It has large crystal headlight and the grill compliments the overall styling of Maruti Ritz. Passengers would feel like they are riding a luxurious car due to its spacious structure. The car has comfortable seats, plush dashboard like the Maruti Suzuki SX4. The tail lights are tall and rise vertically towards the roof. The gear knob placement is similar to that of Hyundai i10. The tachometer is place on the upper side of dashboard.

Dimension:

Length: 3715 mm

Width: 1680 mm

Height: 1590 mm

Ground clearance: 145 mm

Kerb weight: 1150 kg

Engine type: The Maruti Ritz will be available in 1.2 litre and 1.3 litre petrol and diesel engines respectively.

Cylinders: 4

Displacement: 1248cc

Max. Power (Ps at rpm): 85@6000

Max. Torque (Nm at rpm): 113@4500

The Maruti Suzuki Ritz will be available in five speed manual gear and four speed automatic transmission.

The Maruti Ritz will come with anti-lock breaking system (ABS).

The Maruti Suzuki Ritz will have front ventilated discs.

The Maruti Ritz will have rear disk break.

The Maruti Ritz will come with electronic power steering.

The Maruti Suzuki Ritz has 16″ alloy wheels.

Tyre Size 165/70 R14

Already the launch of Maruti Ritz created big hype among the people. There are many interested buyers who are looking for pictures of the car. For them, I have collected some pictures of Maruti Suzuki Ritz from various blogs and websites.

Images & wallpapers: This site has a picture gallery with large collection of Maruti Suzuki Ritz photos. There are 99 photos in this gallery.

Maruti Suzuki Ritz.in: This website has a great collection of Maruti Ritz images. There are 11 Maruti Ritz images.

Car Dekho: Another website with great collection of Maruti Ritz pictures. This picture gallery contains 24 photographs of Maruti Suzuki Ritz.

Zig Wheels: This website has a great collection of Maruti Suzuki Ritz pictures and Maruti Suzuki Ritz wallpapers. The website contains two photo slideshows and wallpapers of Maruti Suzuki Ritz.

Techwhack: This website has eight great Maruti Ritz pictures.

Autoblogs.in: This website offers five Maruti Suzuki Ritz images.

flickr.com: Another great photo website with beautiful Maruti Ritz images.

All-car-news-blogspot: This website contains some great Maruti Suzuki Ritz pictures.

Blogcatalog.com: This blog contains five Maruti Suzuki Ritz photographs.

Carspicturesandphotos: This blog contains 15 Maruti Ritz photos.

Autos.maxabout.net: This blog offers five great Maruti Suzuki Ritz images.

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Maruti Ritz is coming to conquer India

(This entry was originally uploaded on May 2009.)

On May 15, 2009, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (MSIL) is going to launch Maruti Suzuki Ritz, the premium hatchback car. Maruti Suzuki Ritz will compete in the A2 segment. In the last four years, this is the eighth launch of MSIL and its fourth hatchback model car followed by Maruti Zen Estilo, Maruti Swift, and Maruti A-Star and seventh car in the A2 segment. Designed to attract youngsters, the car is spacious and offers great driving experience. Maruti Ritz is designed on Maruti Swift platform. Maruti Ritz is 3.7 meters long. It is 30 mm shorter than Maruti Swift in length and 8 centimeters wider than the Wagon R+. Designers of the car focused a lot on shoulder space. Five passengers can easily fit into the car.

Maruti Suzuki Ritz will be positioned between the Maruti Suzuki A-Star and Maruti Swift. It will mainly compete with Hyundai’s i10 and i20, Skoda’s Fabia, Ford’s Fusion, Fiat’s Palio and Tata Motors’ Indica Vista. A similar version of the model, which will be named Maruti Suzuki Splash, will be launched in the international market. The Maruti Suzuki Splash will be thirty millimeters shorter than the Maruti Suzuki Ritz.

Currently, in the A2 category, Maruti Swift holds 75% market share, Hyundai Getz11%, Chevrolet U-VA 8%, Hyundai i20 4% and Skoda Fabia 2%. MSIL has a 58% market share in the A2 segment. Shashank Srivastava, chief general manager (marketing), Maruti Suzuki India, said that his company’s main strategy is to offer more products in the same category in order to fetch greater market shares. Mr. Srivastava believes that Maruti Suzuki Ritz would succeed where Maruti Swift failed. He also admitted of “some cannibalization of Swift by Ritz” at the initial stage but customers would gradually understand the differences.

Maruti Suzuki Ritz engines and variants:

• Maruti Ritz is fitted with the all aluminum K12M engine. The 1.2-litre, four cylinder, petrol engine is the latest in lightweight K-series engines that are very much fuel efficient. To achieve fuel efficiency and NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) reduction, plastic parts have been used along with shortened piston skirts, plastic intake manifolds, rocker-less DOHC cam shaft and nut-less conrods. The raisin coatings on the pistons reduce transmission losses.
• There will be six variants of the Maruti Ritz- three in petrol and the other three in diesel. The K12M is an 1197cc petrol engine. It generates 85 bhp at 550 rpm. The common rail diesel engine is a 1248 cc engine that produces 75 bhp.

Environment friendly and fuel efficient:

• To make it a more environment friendly car, Maruti Ritz has been ridded of harmful substances like chromium, cadmium, mercury etc. This makes Maruti Ritz more recyclable to salvage valuable materials.
• The Maruti Suzuki Ritz is the first car from Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. that complies with BS-IV emission norms.
• The Maruti Ritz has Smart DistributionLess Ignition (SDLI) that enables the car to achieve a fuel efficiency of 17-18 kmpl. Maruit Ritz will also be able to run on 10% ethanol-petrol blend. The diesel version will have a fuel efficiency of 21 kmpl.

Other features of Maruti Suzuki Ritz:

• The Maruti Suzuki Ritz will come with a 5-speed manual gearbox. Rumor is that a auto-gear version will be released.
• The Maruti Ritz will be available with RR fog lamps.
• The Maruti Suzuki Ritz will come with a rear bumper designed to suit the roads of India.
• For security, the Maruti Ritz will come with i-CATS (Intelligent Computerized Anti-theft System) on all the variants of the Ritz.
• The Maruti Ritz will be available in splash green, lagoon turquoise and eight other metallic colors. The splash green and lagoon turquoise are specifically developed for this car by Suzuki.
• The Maruti Suzuki Ritz will come along with high grade engine oil which will be needed to change after 10,000 kms compared to 1000 kms in other engines. The new Maruti Suzuki Ritz will also come with high-tech spark plugs which you will have to change after 40,000 kms.

Price:

Maruti Ritz will cost between Rs.450,000- 500,000.

Maruti Ritz microsite:

Maruti Suzuki launched www.marutisuzukiritz.com, an interactive mini-site to commemorate the launch of the Maruti Ritz on May 15^th. The site sports a ticker showing the final count down of the launch. Visitors can also download wallpapers and screen savers. There is a teaser that reveals the car in small portions when the visitor moves his mouse. The micro-site also offers games and puzzles. There is this ‘Sneak a Peek Ritz Contest.’ You can win various prizes including trolley bags, Puma T-shirts, and Ritz desk sets. There is also two personalized sections- ‘Share a Moment’ and ‘Read a Moment.’ In the ‘Read a Moment’ section, visitors can write about their various personal experiences with cars. You will also get to read others’ interesting experiences. The lucky winners will win special Maruti Ritz merchandise.

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