Variants revealed
Ahead of its official launch in India, our sources have revealed that the new Maruti Dzire will be offered in four variants and with one petrol engine that will also get CNG compatibility at a later date. The variants on offer are LXi, VXi, ZXi, and ZXi+ with AT and MT options across the table. The engine in question is Maruti’s new 1.2 Z Series engine producing 80bhp/112Nm and can be had with either a five-speed MT or a five-speed AMT.
The car gets a new exterior design and a cabin very similar to that of the fourth-generation Swift but will have more features to help it stand above the Swift. The additional features include a 360-degree camera, sunroof, and most likely additional features for the connected car system.
Minimal changes or strategic move
All of this looks good on paper at least and will just add to the kitty of what is already a pretty successful car for close to two decades now. But it is a safe route that Maruti Suzuki is taking and there are some obvious and not-so-obvious reasons.
The most obvious one is the fact that despite the different exterior designs, underneath, the Swift and and the Dzire are the same car and thus will mimic each other to a large extent both inside and outside. This point is further augmented by sharing of things like the platform, powertrain, production line, and of course, retail outlets.
17-year legacy
But look a little deeper and we arrive at three points. The first is that like the Swift, the Dzire is a tried and tested formula with a 17-year legacy across private buyers and the fleet market. The latter used to be a wincing point for many manufacturers but demonstrates the strength of a car when it is used in such a rough manner.
Resource allocation
Maruti is investing in a line of SUVs and EVs across various segments and thus, doing just enough to move the Dzire up the chain will give it resources to make those investments. Putting it in the simplest way, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
We want more
Maruti’s festival sales have pointed at something that’s hard to escape. Indians want bigger cars. Many first-time buyers are going for vehicles well over Rs. 15 lakh – Rs. 16 lakh. This means a car like the Dzire with its sub-four-metre proportions and sedan shape will probably have to share space with a similar-sized SUV at some point within the next six to seven years. The SUVs will of course get petrol, CNG, hybrid, and electric power options while the Dzire will stay on with petrol and CNG.
Image courtesy: CarWale