Maruti's diesel Dzire AMT has been in the works for some time now, with the test mule first being spotted earlier this year. The company now seems ready to launch the diesel automatic compact sedan, as images of a test drive car are being circulated on the internet.
The model spotted, a Dzire ZDi, appears to have all the features of the standard Z trim car with the only differences being the gearlever for the AMT gearbox and a badge on the boot that reads 'Auto Gear Shift'.
Mechanically, the car is expected to use the same 74bhp 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine like the standard diesel Dzire mated to a Magneti Marelli supplied AMT gearbox.
The Diesel Dzire AMT is expected to launch sometime early next year and to cost around Rs 50,000 more than the manual version. When launched, the Dzire AMT will directly rival the Tata Zest AMT, a car which uses the same 1.3-litre Fiat-sourced engine that generates a more robust 89bhp.
Lenny D'sa
Saptarshi Mondal
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