Maruti was betting big on its new sedan, the Ciaz, after its previous attempts didn’t do too well. The Baleno and SX4 sold in average numbers at best, and the Vitara and Kizashi failed.
Things, however, finally seem to be falling into place - the Ciaz outsold its biggest competitor, the Honda City, in the first month since its launch.
Maruti has delivered 6,345 units of the Ciaz, while Honda sold only 5,120 units of the City in October.
Maruti Ciaz comes with an option of a 1.4-litre petrol engine or a 1.3-litre diesel. A five-speed manual gearbox is standard on both, while the petrol variant gets the choice of a four-speed automatic gearbox too. Authorized dealerships have received over 17,000 bookings for the Ciaz that retails from a starting price of Rs 6.99 lakh for the base petrol variant to Rs 9.8 lakh for the top diesel trim (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi).
However, Honda has announced a second production shift for the new City at their Tapukara plant. This may aid Honda to reduce the waiting period for the City and help boost sales.
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
