Maruti Suzuki raises its game with S-Cross

Maruti Suzuki has launched its premium crossover, the S-Cross, at a starting price of Rs 8.34 lakh for the base Sigma trim powered by the 1.3-litre engine, with the top-spec Alpha variant costing Rs 10.75 lakh. The base version with the carmaker’s newest 1.6-litre engine is priced at Rs 11.99 lakh going up to Rs 13.74 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The S-Cross is the first model to be sold out of Maruti’s premium Nexa dealerships. With this launch, the carmaker aims to establish a firm presence in the premium segment in India. Maruti Suzuki already has the Ciaz on offer in the premium mid-size sedan segment.

T Hashimoto, Executive Director, Maruti Suzuki told Autocar India that the carmaker has a target of selling 4,000-5,000 units of the S-Cross per month. So far, they have  received over 36,000 enquiries for the car. Hashimoto added that the company has invested nearly Rs 600 crore on the development of the crossover.

The carmaker sees the appetite for premium cars growing in the near term. “Our intent is to expand the market. The premium crossover category is a new category that we have introduced. With easy financing and increase in disposable income of the younger generation, the entire car segment in India is moving upwards,” R S Kalsi, Head of domestic sales and marketing, Maruti Suzuki said.

Maruti plans to increase the number of Nexa showrooms in India to 100 by March 2016. At present, the carmaker has 35 showrooms operational across the country.

Moreover, the carmaker said that the S-Cross will be made available in cities where the Nexa dealership is not present.  Maruti revealed that it has a margin-sharing agreement in place between Nexa and existing Maruti dealerships so as to ensure best possible availability for car buyers. The company has plans to open around 200 new Maruti Suzuki showrooms by the end of 2016, Kalsi said. At present, there are 1,660 showrooms across the country.

With a premium offering and a slew of brand new premium showrooms, it will be interesting to see how Maruti Suzuki performs in the Indian SUV segment, which recently witnessed the launch of another strong contender, the Hyundai Creta. The Maruti S-Cross also takes on the established SUV brigade, which includes strong rivals like the Renault Duster/Nissan Terrano and the Ford EcoSport.

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