Maruti Suzuki launches the EECO

Maruti Suzuki has launched the Eeco at the Auto Expo 2010. The new C-segment family car is nothing but a facelifted Versa.

From the exterior there is hardly any change except to the bumpers and headlights. However, under the hood goes a modified version of the old G series engine which has been reworked and down sized to 1.2-litre and now produces 73bhp at the wheels while churning out 10.3kgm of torque.

The engine has new lightweight pistons and a new induction system along with a change in the bore and stroke. Installing the K-series engine would have meant modifications to the engine mounts which would have increased costs. The reworked engine will meet BS-IV emission norms and promising better fuel efficiency than before.

The engineers have worked for over two years to develop the Eeco. The core objective was to down-size the project cost that would result in achieving lower cost point.

On the inside, the Eeco will come with dual tone interiors, a digital meter cluster and will be available in 7-seater and 5-seater options. However, AC is only available with the 5-seater.

Maruti has priced the Eeco quite competitively and the 5-seater standard model priced at Rs 2.74lakh, while the 5-seater AC will cost Rs 3.04lakh and the sole 7-seater variant will retail at 2.9lakh (prices ex-showroon Mumbai).