Mumbai: Car market leader, Maruti Suzuki India has fired its first salvo to revive small car sales. The local arm of the Japanese carmaker has launched limited editions of Alto K10, Celerio and S-Presso models under the “Dream Series” at Rs4.99 lakh. It has also reduced prices of the automatic (auto gear shifts) variants of the existing Alto, S-Presso and Celerio models by Rs5000. The limited-edition models will be available till the end of this month. Depending on the response, Maruti will take a call on whether to extend it beyond the current month. The models go on sale from today. “We are introducing the Dream Series to rejuvenate the entry level car market and meet the expectation of the entry level customers in terms of the convenience and utility that the car can provide,” Partho Banerjee, senior executive officer- marketing and sales, Maruti Suzuki India, told reporters during the monthly sales call. Even as the household incomes haven’t gone up after Covid, small car prices have seen a sharp increase due to regulations on safety and emissions making the models unaffordable, he said.
Meanwhile, with the price reduction of the AGS variants, the company is hoping to boost sales of automatic variants, entry level hatchbacks or small cars by 15-20%. Banerjee stayed clear of sharing guidance on the overall incremental sales it expects with the new marketing initiative — a first in the company’s history to boost small car sales.
The limited-edition models come equipped with features such as camera with display, security system, a pair of speakers, interior styling kit, body side moulding, number plate frame, side, rear and front skid plates, to name a few. At the above-mentioned price, the K10 limited edition is comparable with the mid variant of Alto K10 VXi+, S-Presso limited edition is comparable with the regular mid-range variant VXi and Celerio limited edition is comparable with the LXi variant.
Sales of the company’s mini and compact car models have been under intense pressure over the last three years. Small car sales in India which Maruti leads with a share of 69% fell 12% in FY24 when the passenger vehicle industry advanced 8.7%, led by robust demand for SUVs. Sales of such models in the overall mix crimped to 27.7% from 34.4% in FY23. It used to be 47.4% in FY18.
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