Maruti Suzuki

Review Maruti Suzuki Cars in India :

Maruti Suzuki is one of India's leading automobile manufacturers and the market leader in the car segment, both in terms of volume of vehicles sold and revenue earned. Until recently, 18.28% of the company was owned by the Indian government, and 54.2% by Suzuki of Japan. The Indian government held an initial public offering of 25% of the company in June 2003. As of May 10, 2007, Govt. of India sold its complete share to Indian financial institutions. With this, Govt. of India no longer has stake in Maruti Udyog.

Maruti Udyog Limited (MUL) was established in February 1981, though the actual production commenced in 1983. Through 2004, Maruti has produced over 5 Million vehicles. Marutis are sold in India and various several other countries, depending upon export orders. Cars similar to Marutis (but not manufactured by Maruti Udyog) are sold by Suzuki in Pakistan and other South Asian countries.

The company annually exports more than 30,000 cars and has an extremely large domestic market in India selling over 500,000 cars annually. Maruti 800, till 2004, was the India's largest selling compact car ever since it was launched in 1983. More than a million units of this car have been sold worldwide so far. Currently, Maruti Alto tops the sales charts.

Due to the large number of Maruti 800s sold in the Indian market, the term "Maruti" is commonly used to refer to this compact car model. Till recently the term "Maruti", in popular Indian culture, was associated to the Maruti 800 model.

Maruti Suzuki India Limited, a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan, has been the leader of the Indian car market for over two decades.

It’s manufacturing facilities are located at two facilities Gurgaon and Manesar south of New Delhi. Maruti’s Gurgaon facility has an installed capacity of 350,000 units per annum. The Manesar facilities, launched in February 2007 comprise a vehicle assembly plant with a capacity of 100,000 units per year and a Diesel Engine plant with an annual capacity of 100,000 engines and transmissions. Manesar and Gurgaon facilities have a combined capability to produce over 700,000 units annually.

More than half the cars sold in India are Maruti cars. The company is a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan, which owns 54.2 per cent of Maruti. The rest is owned by the public and financial institutions. It is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange in India.

During 2007-08, Maruti Suzuki sold 764,842 cars, of which 53,024 were exported. In all, over six million Maruti cars are on Indian roads since the first car was rolled out on December 14, 1983.

Maruti Suzuki offers 10 models, ranging from the people’s car, Maruti 800, for less than Rs 200,000 ($ 5000) ex-showroom to the premium sedan SX 4 and luxury SUV, Grand Vitara.

Suzuki Motor Corporation, the parent company, is a global leader in mini and compact cars for three decades. Suzuki’s technical superiority lies in its ability to pack power and performance into a compact, lightweight engine that is clean and fuel efficient.

Maruti is clearly an “employer of choice” for automotive engineers and young managers from across the country. Nearly 75,000 people are employed directly by Maruti and its partners.

The company vouches for customer satisfaction. For its sincere efforts it has been rated (by customers)first in customer satisfaction among all car makers in India for seven years in a row in annual survey by J D Power Asia Pacific.

Maruti Suzuki was born as a government company, with Suzuki as a minor partner, to make a people’s car for middle class India. Over the years, the product range has widened, ownership has changed hands and the customer has evolved. What remains unchanged, then and now, is Maruti’s mission to motorise India.

Maruti Udyog Limited, the largest automotive manufacturer of India was established in February 1981 though the production started only in 1983. The company started as a 50-50 JV between Suzuki of Japan and Maruti. The government of India held 18.28% stake untill recently. This holding stake was sold off to the financial institutions in May, 2007. Suzuki has gradually increased its holding percentage to 54.2. The first offering from Maruti, the 800, was the bestseller for a long time till its sibling, the Alto, took over. Selling over 5,00,000 cars annually in the domestic market, Maruti exports close to 30,000 units to several countries. Of late, the Indian giant was facing stiff competition from various manufacturers and Maruti did well by launching the Swift which is a modern and exudes a lifestyle image. The trend continued with the SX4. The large portfolio takes care of the options available to the customer



Maruti 800 Cars:

Maruti 800 is a city car manufactured by Maruti Udyog in India. It is a rebadged version of a Suzuki Alto.

It used to be the largest selling car in India until the Maruti Altosoutheastern Asia including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and to some South American markets (as Chile, sold as Suzuki Maruti), and was available in selected European markets between 1988 and 1992, sold as the Suzuki Maruti. In Morocco it is currently sold as Suzuki Maruti (as of March 2008). The car comes in different versions including one with air conditioning and one without. It was launched in December 1984 with almost 100% imported components. recently took that title. It is also exported to a number of countries in

The 800 has undergone some minor face lifts but overall it still remains the same as it was in 1984. The car has reported slipping sales in recent times, mainly due to the introduction of the more attractive Alto at a comparable price. The car produces approximately 37 bhp (28 kW) of power and runs on 12 inch (305 mm) wheels. Curb weight is 650 kg (1433 lb) and 4 passengers (including the driver) fit in comfortably. Top speed is in the region of 125 km/h (78 mph) and the frugal car is known to deliver fuel economy better than 20 km/l (47 mpg)^[clarify] on clear and plain roads. Maruti Suzuki had earlier launched a version with a 4 valves per cylinder engine producing 45 bhp coupled with a 5-speed manual transmission (currently found in the Suzuki Alto) but discontinued it after a couple of years.

A Euro III emission compliant version of the car was released in 2005 in India.

The Maruti 800 is still popularly hailed in India as "the smallest car in production" due to its relatively tightly spaced interior.

Steady, reliable and cheapest car available. It sells highest and if you are just looking for a small family car, nothing comes better.

Maruti Omni Cars:

The Maruti Omni is a microvan manufactured by Indian automaker Maruti Udyog Limited. The first version of Maruti Omni had the same 796 cc engine as the Maruti 800 city car. This was the second vehicle to be launched by Maruti, one year after the 800, in 1984. Later version of the Omni includes the:

• Omni (E), released in 1996, 796 cc engine, 8 seater capacity vehicle
• Omni XL - 1999, same engine, modified with a higher roof.
• Omni Cargo LPG - 2004, created to answer the growing popularity of this car being used as an inter-city cargo vehicle.^[1]
• Omni LPG - 2003, same 796 cc engine, added with a factory fitted LPG Kit, authorised by the Indian RTOs (Regional Transport Offices). This makes it the most economic 4 wheeler in India, as far as the driving costs are concerned.
• Omni Ambulance - A Modified E version into an ambulance vehicle. This is the most common type of ambulances found in Indian cities.

The Omni could be divided into two categories: the family version and the cargo version. The newer family version has two extra seats directly behind the front seating and facing away towards the rear of the van making it an eight seater. (Older versions was modified by individual owners to add additional capacity this way). The cargo version is completely devoid of back seats. Both versions have sliding back doors and hatchbacks.^[2] The Omni is also unique in a way that it uses a front mid engine rear wheel drive layout, as it helps in maximizing cabin and cargo space and providing maximum traction.

Maruti Alto Cars:

The Maruti Alto is a city car manufactured by Maruti Udyog in India. It is the best-selling car in India.It is India's largest selling car and has recently crossed the 1 million production figure. ^[1] It is exported to a number of countries in southeastern Asia including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and to Chile. Alto has crossed the 150,000 export target.

The Alto is powered by a 796 cc gasoline engine with 3 cylinder, 4 valves per cylinder MPFI engine with 32bit ECM.

• Maximum Power: 47 PS (35 kW)
• Acceleration 0-100 km/h: approximately 20 seconds
• Top Speed: 125-130 km/h

The Alto is offered in the following variants:

• Base model - All that is needed in a basic car.
• LX - Base model with A/c, cup holders, fabric seats , remote fuel lid opener and few small changes
• LXi - Same as LX with power steering.

There used to be a VX/VXi model with a 4-cylinder 1061 cc engine (64 bhp/80 Nm torque). This has now been discontinued. But this VX model is still sold in certain European countries. The Alto VX model also featured a tachometer which was absent in LX model.

All models are equipped with 5-speed manual transmission.

The popularity of an Alto has increased over the past few years, mainly on account of reduction of prices. Prices of Alto were decreased thrice - once in September 2003, once in March 2006 on account of reduction in Excise Duty and most recently in March 2008 on again a decrease in Excise Duty. Post these price cuts, the popularity of an Alto has increased manifold. It has now become the first choice of young car buyers intending to upgrade from a 2 wheeler. Some of its appeal is from stylish looks, attractive features, and impressive fuel economy at a very affordable price.

The year 2006 -07 was the year of the Alto. Powered by a healthy growth in the GDP, increasing disposable income & increasingly younger car buyers, Alto established a number of records. Alto was the first brand In Indian Domestic Automotive History to sell over 200,000 units in a single financial year, the last 100,000 units being sold in 5 months. Alto was the only brand to sell over 22,000 units in a single month. And an Alto was being sold every minute.

Maruti Suzuki Wagon R Cars:

The Suzuki Wagon R is a mini MPV, first introduced as a kei car in Japan in 1993. The R stands for recreation. It is one of the first cars to use the "tall wagon" design in which the car is designed to be unusually tall with a short bonnet and almost vertical hatchback and sides in order to maximise cabin space while staying within the kei car dimension restrictions. The first generation Wagon R is 1640 mm (64.6 in) high, or 255 mm (10 in) taller (170 mm (6.7 in) internally) than the JDM Suzuki Alto sold at the same time (which was the exact same length and width).

The Wagon R Wide, introduced in 1997, is a slightly larger car, exceeding the kei car specifications, with larger 1.0 and 1.3 litre engines - this is what was sold as the "Wagon R+" in the European market (also introduced in the same year). The only other tall wagon style car sold in Europe around the time of its introduction was the Daihatsu Move.

1998 saw the introduction of the second-generation Wagon R in Japan, with the Wagon R+ergom in Hungary and Gurgaon, India. The Opel Agila is a badge engineered version of the Suzuki Wagon R+, also introduced in summer 2000. replacing the Wagon R Wide in 1999 - this was brought to Europe in 2000. This is also produced in Eszt

A third generation Wagon R was launched in Japan in September 2003 for their 10th Anniversary, but only as a K-car - no oversized version (like the previous Wide and +) was developed in either Japan or Europe. The third generation was facelifted in September 2005.

The Hungarian-built Wagon R+ is still being produced for the European market, albeit with limited range and availability (it is no longer for sale in Ireland, for example). As of 2006 in the UK, only one model is available - the GL, with a 1.2 litre 4-cylinder petrol engine delivering 59 kW (80.2 PS), ABS with EBD and air conditioning. The current model is 3540 mm (139.4 in) x 1620 mm (63.8 in) x 1695 mm (66.7 in) (length x width x height), with a claimed 597 litres of cargo space.

In India, the WagonR is sold as "Maruti Suzuki WagonR", having Suzuki's 1.1 L F10D petrol engine producing 64 bhp (48 kW). Also, a new LPG version called DUO has been introduced lately, which runs both on Petrol and LPG.

In Indonesia, the car is called Suzuki Karimun and offered with a 1000 cc petrol engine, whilst in China it forms the base for both the Changhe-Suzuki Beidouxing and Changhe-Suzuki F-MPV.

Maruti Swift Cars:

Maruti Swift : is a rocking car today. Its unique look makes it all the more classy and stylish. It is a mid sized car and is slowly capturing the market. It has to still create a niche for itself. There are so many mid sized cars in the market already, by different brands that it is getting a tough competition. There are three Models in Maruti Swift: • Maruti Swift Lxi • Maruti Swift Zxi • Maruti Swift Vxi All the above models have one up features like central locking system, front fog lamps, tachometer etc in the same chronological order. The models come in various colors like silky silver, deep red, bright orange, shiny black etc. Few inferences have been drawn to judge the working of Maruti swift and have a generalized review of this car: • When compared to Tata Indica this car gives superb features. It has power steering which makes the drive easy and folding rear seat which makes the journey comfortable. • Maruti swifts over all length and width is 3695 mm and 1690 mm in comparison to Tata Indica whose length and width is ( 3660 mm and 1625 mm) respectively and Hyundai Getz whose length and width is ( 3810 mm and 1665 mm) respectively. This gives Swift a better grading. • The gross vehicle weight of Maruti Swift is 1415 kg s which is more than Maruti Esteem whose weight is 1315 kg s. Its kerb weight is also 980 kg s which is more than that of Maruti Esteem (875 kg s). • When it comes to fuel economy Maruti Swift wins the race by giving an average of 15.8 km per liter on highway which is more than that given my Tata Indica (13.5 km per liter), Hyundai Getz (15.3 km per liter). On city heavy traffic roads it gives a cut throat competition to Maruti esteem by giving an average of 11.5 km per liter which is far more than esteem (10.2 km per liter). Tata Indica in this case stands no where near it as it gives an average of (9.8 km per liter). • The fuel tank capacity of Maruti swift is (43 liters) also better than that of Tata Indica (37 liters) and Maruti Esteem (40 liters). • When it comes to maintenance nothing can beat this car. It is one car whose maintenance can be done very easily. Its spare parts are readily available and at a customized range. Maruti has its service stations almost everywhere we go. So it can be easily repaired or services without any hassle. • It is a five gear car which gives a great speed as compared to Tata Indica which is a four gear car. • Certain things are still missing in Maruti Swift where the car needs improvisation. There should be a lock on the glove box and the sliding tray should be added. The interiors of the car should be made with better quality material. The cabin light needs to more vibrant. Maruti Swift carries mixed opinions. But overall it is considered to be a thrilling car

Maruti Grand Vitara Cars:

This car is a sports utility vehicle. It is the second SUV launched by Maruti Udhyog ltd. It’s a massive car with very beautiful interiors. It gives a great feeling to sit in this car and one feels all the more nice when you own it. It has stylish outlook. A very well polished car of Maruti which is makes head turn when it takes a ride on road. It is a very safe car for highways and gives a smooth drive. Its exotic features and brilliant performance is making it very popular.

The Grand Vitara comes in various colours:
• Metallic silky silver
• Cool metallic beige
• Grove green pearl metallic
• Pearl white
• Cats eye blue metallic
• Cassis red pearl

Certain inferences have been drawn to review the working of Grand Vitara:

• In terms of engine type and cylinder Maruti Grand Vitara has V6 cylinders with base engine displacement of 2.7 liters. While Ford escape and Hyundai Tucson have 4 inline valves each and 2.3 liters and 2 liters of base engine displacement respectively.

• Maruti Grand Vitara has 24 valves with double overhead cam while Ford Escape and Hyundai Tucson have 16 valves each.

• In terms of power Maruti Grand Vitara moves to victory with the horse power of 185 hp@ 6000 rpm. As compared to Escape and Tucson whose horse power is 153 hp@ 5800 rpm and 140 hp@ 6000 rpm respectively. Even Torque is 184 ft-lbs @ 4500 rpm in Grand Vitara which is more than that of Escape (152 ft-lbs @ 4250 rpm) and Tucson (136 ft-lbs @4500 rpm).

• In Maruti Grand Vitara the spare tyres and wheels are made of full size matching steel. While that in Escape and Tucson is made of temporary steel.

• For customer convenience Maruti Grand Vitara has speed proportional power steering. It gives the full comfort of air conditioning by making automatic climatic control. It gives us a fresh feel as it has internal air filter which purifies the air.

• It has a good music system with 4 speakers which give a wonderful sound.

• It is a well equipped car with warranty. The grand Vitara has a spacious cabin and its performance is unbeatable.

• The fuel tank capacity if Grand Vitara is 66 liters. It has tubeless radial tyres 235/60R 16.

• Its seating arrangement is very comfortable as the seats are arranged in three rows. So the users can have a systematic plan to sit which is very beneficial in case of long drives.

• Then it also has child safety locks and high up door beams.
Overall Maruti Grand Vitara is getting a good response. Its open a new gateway of success for Maruti Suzuki and I doing quite well on Indian roads.

Maruti Zen Estilo cars:
These has been launched recently in place of Maruti Zen. Its seating arrangement is more comfortable than that of Maruti Zen. It s much more spacious and very sophisticated car. Its looks are pretty eye catching and it had superb features to win customers heart. It is a mid sized car with a capacity to accommodate five people very easily.

Zen Estilo has three models under it:
• Maruti Zen Estilo Lx
• Maruti Zen Estilo Lxi
• Maruti Zen Estilo Vxi

All the above models have one up features in the same chronological order like air conditioning, SRS air bag, adjustable electric ORVM etc. It comes in various colors like virgin blue, brilliant yellow, purple fusion, midnight black etc.

The following inferences have been drawn to review the working of Maruti Zen Estilo:
• A new launch with excellent features. It is giving an incredible performance with its rock solid engine.

• When compared to the base model of Hyundai Santro Xing, Maruti Zen Estilo has power windows and central locking.

• In terms of fuel economy also Maruti Zen Estilo wins the race by giving an average of 17.7 km per liter on highway in comparison to Santro Xing whose average is 16.8 km per liter. On jam packed heavy traffic roads Zen Estilo gives an average of 12.6 km per liter and Santro Xing gives an average of 11.8 km per liter. Overall Zen Estilo gives an average of 13.3 km per liter and Santro Xing s average is 12.7 km per liter.

• When it comes to maintenance nothing can beat this car. It is one car whose maintenance can be done very easily. Its spare parts are readily available and at a customized range. Maruti has its service stations almost everywhere we go. So it can be easily repaired or services without any hassle.

• Both Maruti Estilo and Hyundai Santro Xing are petrol based cars. The clutch type in Maruti Estilo is easier with cable than that of Santro Xing with gear shifting and frequent use of clutch.

• In dimensions Maruti Zen Estilo cannot beat Santro Xing. Its length is 3495 mm which is less than that of Santro (3565 mm). Its width is 1475 mm which is also less than that of Santro (1525 mm). Its overall height is almost nearing that of Santro Xing.

• The maximum speed of Maruti Zen Estilo is 148 kilometers per hour in comparison to Santro Xing whose speed is 141 kilometers per hour. Maruti Zen Estilo is a spark on Indian roads.

• This car has 145 / 70 r 13 radial tyres which very sound and stable for our roads.

• Its electronic power steering with a minimum turning radius of 4.6 meters gives make it all the more feasible.

Maruti Zen Estilo is a fabulous car with worthy features. Though it is facing a lot of competition but its stylish exterior is making its charm felt all over.