Maruti opens booking for new WagonR

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Monday announced opening of bookings for its upcoming version of WagonR. Customers can book the third generation WagonR at its authorised dealer network across the country at an initial payment of Rs 11,000, the company said.

Moreover, the customers can also opt for online booking on the company’s website, it added.

The new car will be launched on January 23.

The ‘Big New WagonR‘ will be available with a new 1.2 litre petrol engine option along with another choice of 1 litre engine. It will also be offered in automatic gear shift variant, the company said.

The new vehicle has been developed on the Suzuki’s fifth generation HEARTECT platform, “which makes the car stable, strong and safe,” it said.

Use of high tensile steel has improved the overall safety, rigidity and NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) performance in the new offering.

It also has safety features including driver airbag, ABS (anti-lock braking system) with EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution) and front seat belts reminder, speed alert system and rear parking sensors.

Earlier, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd had said it would hike its car prices by up to Rs 10,000 for select models with immediate effect to offset adverse impact of increase in commodity prices and foreign exchange rates.

Maruti Suzuki India in a regulatory filing said prices would go up “for select models owing to increase in commodity prices and foreign exchange rates etc. The price change varies across models and ranges up to Rs 10,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi)”.

The new prices were effective from January 10, 2019.

Currently, Maruti Suzuki cars start from the entry-level Alto 800 to the premium crossover S-Cross priced between Rs 2.53 lakh and Rs 11.45 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Earlier, Maruti Suzuki had cut its sales forecast to 8% from an earlier projection of double digit growth.

It expects the fourth quarter to bring back the momentum in the passenger vehicle sales, which have seen a flat growth for last 5-6 months.