Country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki expects to sell more than over 1.99 lakh units of the its all new Dzire as production constraints ease following the Gujarat plant becoming operational, a top official said.
“This is a different product all together… an authentic sedan. So we expect to surpass the previous numbers,” said the company’s executive director, sales and marketing, R.S. Kalsi on Monday unveilng the all new Dzire ahead of its introduction launch next month.
“In year 2016-17, we sold 1.99 lakh units of Swift Dzire. Since, it’s a new model, it will attract more customers,” he said. the company’s Executive Director Sales and Marketing RS Kalsi said
He said added that due to capacity constraints, the car maker had to adjust production of certain models, including Dzire, in order to reduce long waiting period of models like Baleno and Vitara Brezza.
Mr.Kalsi said the company will be “more comfortable” on the capacity front with 1.5 lakh1,50,000 vehicles being manufactured at Suzuki Gujarat Plant this year, easing the burden on Gurugram and Manesar plants. The Dzire will mainly be manufactured at the Manesar Plant.
The company, which has till date sold 13.81 lakh units of the older generations of the car in India since its introduction in March 2008, will unveil the new sub-four metre sedan on May 16. The compact sedan segment, however, has been witnessing a decline in sales in the country. In 2016-17, it clocked 4,02,608 units as against 4,40,735 units in 2015-16, down 8.65%
Eyeing growth
“There has been a decline in the segment…Maruti is driving the sales in the segment. We have 50%market share in the compact sedan segment where Dzire is present,” Mr. Kalsi said, adding that the introduction of new models will certainly help the market to grow.
The car, no more christened the Swift Dzire, will compete with the likes of Tata Tigor, Honda Amaze, Hyundai Xcent and Ford Aspire.
Maruti Suzuki India executive director R&D, C V Raman said the new Dzire had been developed on 5th generation ‘Heartect’ platform, which helps in weight reduction and improves frame rigidity. The platform has also been used in Baleno. “In Dzire, the platform helped reduce the weight of the petrol version by 85kg and that of diesel variants by 105 kg,” he said.
Mr.Kalsi said the company would continue selling Dzire Tour to the fleet operators.
