The Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is the latest car from the manufacturer to cross the 7,00,000-unit sales landmark. Launched on April 16, 2012, the Ertiga was the carmaker’s first crack at the MPV segment, and it has taken nine-and-a-half years to achieve this number.
- Ertiga CNG has sold over 65,000 units since April this year
- Ertiga has crossed the seven lakh-unit sales mark after over nine years
- Maruti was recently spotted testing the 2022 update for the MPV
As per Autocar Professional’s statistics, from its launch to October-end, the Ertiga has sold a total of 6,99,215 units, just 785 short of the 7,00,000-unit mark, which it would have crossed in the first few days of November. The MPV’s best annual sales came in FY2020 (2019-2020) – 90,543 units sold, but it looks like the Ertiga will better it this financial year. Having averaged monthly sales of 8,146 units in the April-October period, Maruti Suzuki is likely to see this model touch the 1,00,000-unit sales mark, with four months left for FY2022 to end.
CNG variant has 41 percent share in sales this fiscal
Since launch, the Ertiga has sold a total of 3,44,174 diesel variants, 2,97,285 petrol variants and 57,756 units of the recently launched CNG variant. This means the diesel-engined Ertiga (discontinued from April 2020 when Maruti exited the diesel market) accounted for 49.22 percent of total sales.
Although it is early days for the CNG Ertiga, it looks like the eco-friendly variant is making its presence felt. Of the 65,174 Ertigas sold between April and October this year, the CNG variant accounted for 41 percent, or 26,783 units, with the remaining being petrol. The Ertiga, at present, is the sole MPV in India which comes equipped with factory-fitted CNG technology.
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Powered by the 105hp, 1.5-litre K-series petrol engine, Smart Hybrid and AT technology as well as the factory-fitted CNG model (launched last February), the Ertiga has carved a niche for itself. The Ertiga VXi CNG BS6 model delivers fuel efficiency of 26.08 km/kg, which is a value-for-money proposition at a time when fuel rates are skyrocketing.
The new Ertiga, which was our Car of the Year 2019, benefits from clever packaging. Despite being a seven-seater, it is still compact in dimensions, and its light controls and good all-round visibility make it very user-friendly and easy to drive. The interiors are more spacious and plush, and the well-cushioned seats take cabin comfort up a few notches. The larger cabin and the backrest recline function helped make the third row far more usable than the earlier model.
On the safety front, the new Ertiga gets dual airbags, hill hold (AT only), ISOFIX, electronic stability program (AT only) and ABS with EBD.
In a market teeming with compact SUVs, the Maruti Ertiga has, over the years, been a sustainable success. While not overly flamboyant with monthly numbers as compared to its siblings – the Swift, Baleno or the WagonR – this MPV has been a sturdy market soldier for Maruti Suzuki, delivering the goods consistently. Sometimes, that’s just what matters in the long run.
2022 Ertiga snapped testing
Maruti Suzuki is readying an updated Ertiga for launch next year and has revealed a test mule, which was recently photographed with barely any camouflage for the first time. Like the 2022 Baleno, the updated Ertiga will receive a host of cosmetic changes. A closer look at the grille indicates resemblance to the Maruti Baleno facelift. The rest of the MPV, as can clearly be seen in these images, remains largely unchanged. The headlamps, tail-lamps, front and rear bumpers and even the alloy wheels will be carried forward as is.
The Ertiga facelift is expected to remain unchanged, mechanically as well. That means it could carry forward the tried and tested 105hp, 138Nm, 1.5-litre petrol engine with mild-hybrid tech. Transmission choices will also likely remain unchanged – 5-speed manual and 4-speed torque converter automatic.
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