Maruti has launched the most hotly anticipated car, the Celerio hatchback, today at the Auto Expo 2014 and the carmaker has priced the new small car competitively.

 

With prices starting from as low as Rs 3.90 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the base LXi petrol with the manual gearbox, it seems Maruti is pushing the manual gearbox-equipped version.

 

Prices for the automatic variants start at Rs 4.29 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the LXi, making it the most affordable automatic in the country and it seems the company is making a statement. The narrow Rs 39,000 price difference between the manual and auto LXi variants is thanks to the innovative and cheap to make automated manual transmission. The automatic Celerio will only be available in the base LXi and VXi trims.

However, these are introductory prices, as has become the norm with Maruti launches of late, and are expected to rise at a later date.

 

The base LXi variant comes equipped with power steering, air conditioning and body coloured bumpers. There’s also the door ajar warning and low fuel warning lamp in the instrument cluster.

 

The VXi variant, in addition, gets a chrome grille, wheel covers, day and night interior mirror, central locking, all four power windows and 14-inch wheels.

 

The top-end ZXi trim gets body coloured door handles, body coloured wing mirrors with indicators, a four-speaker audio system with USB and Bluetooth connectivity, keyless entry and steering-mounted controls. The steering itself can be adjusted for height and there’s also the rear washer, demister and a driver’s airbag.

 

The ZXi (O) adds fog lamps, alloy wheels, ABS and height adjustable driver's seat.