While sales of compact sedans have seen a slow down, interest in the segment is still very much alive. The Dzire has been the segment leader with sales of over 1.38 million cars sold so far and the new third-generation Maruti Suzuki Dzire has garnered a lot of attention with bookings crossing 33,000 at the time of launch on May 16.

Speaking to Autocar at the launch, C.V. Raman, executive director (engg) at Maruti Suzuki India, said, "We don't see a dip, numbers are growing for us, and I think a sedan today still has that appeal to a customer. Yes, there has been growth for compact SUVs, but I think there will be space for all."  

Official bookings for the new Maruti Suzuki Dzire began on May 5, at an initial down payment of Rs 11,000. Dealer sources say that there is a waiting period of 8-10 weeks for the new Dzire’s manual transmission models, while the AGS (automated manual transmission) cars can be delivered within four-five weeks.  

There are a total of eight variants of the new Maruti Suzuki Dzire, including the newly added top-end Z+ variants with AGS gearbox as option from the ‘V’ variant onwards. There are six colours, including Oxford Blue, Sherwood Brown and Gallant Red which make an appearance for the first time. To be manufactured exclusively at Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant for now, prices for the new Dzire start at Rs 5.45 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi) and go all the way up to Rs 9.41 lakh for the top (ZDi+ AGS) model. 

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