Country’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki on Wednesday launched its crossover hatchback S-Cross priced in the range of Rs.8.34 lakh and Rs.13.74 lakh as it looks to cement its position in the premium car market.
The S-Cross will compete with models such as Hyundai’s recently-launched Creta, Renault’s Duster, Ford’s EcoSport, Mahindra & Mahindra’s Scorpio and XUV500.
“We currently have a market share of 45 per cent in the passenger vehicles segment. Still, 55 per cent of market is not with us. With the launch of this vehicle, we hope to further increase our market share,” Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Managing Director and CEO Kenichi Ayukawa told reporters.
He added that the company was looking to sell around 3,000-4,000 units of the S-Cross a month. MSI, which dominates the compact cars segment in the country, has in the past struggled to replicate the success in the bigger cars segment. The first step towards strengthening foothold in the segment was the launch of its premium mid-size sedan Ciaz, of which the company sold 55,000 units in 11 months. Maruti also plans to introduce a compact sport-utility vehicle in the later part of this fiscal year.
MSI and its suppliers have invested over Rs.600 crore towards development of the S-Cross over a period of four years. The S-Cross will be available only in diesel engine options of 1.6 litre and 1.3 litre.
The DDiS 200 (1.3 litre) variant is priced between Rs.8.34 lakh and Rs.10.75 lakh.
The DDiS 320 (1.6 litre) trims are priced between Rs.11.99 lakh and Rs.13.74 lakh (all prices ex-showroom Delhi).
The company will sell the S-Cross through its newly launched Nexa chain of showrooms, Mr. Ayukawa said, adding that the company has various premium models in the pipeline which would be sold through these outlets going ahead.
