NEW DELHI: India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) on Wednesday launched a new multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), XL6, at a starting price of Rs 9.79 lakh. The new vehicle will be sold through premium retail chain Nexa.
XL6 comes with 1.5 litre petrol power train with progressive smart hybrid system. There is no diesel engine on offer in the car for now. However, MSIL said they are studying the feasibility of bringing diesel options for bigger vehicles.
The MPV’s engine is compliant with the BS VI emission norms, which will come into effect from April 1, 2020. XL6 is the seventh model from the Maruti stable to be compliant with the new emission norms.
“All of our Nexa launches have been game changers in their respective segments. We are sure XL6 will add to that lineage,” Kenichi Ayukawa, managing director, MSIL, said even as the carmaker registered 36 per cent decline in July year-on-year.
The prolonged slowdown in India’s automotive sector has severely impacted MSIL. The company’s sales in the first quarter of FY 2019-20 fell 18 per cent while net profit plummeted 27 per cent YoY. The company has consequently cut its production capacity and laid off around 3,000 temporary staff.
However, Maruti expects a revival in demand with the festive season coming up. “We are concerned that the market is falling at a double-digit figure. I expect the new product launches will improve sentiments,” Ayukawa said.
MSIL said with the Onam festival starting in the south, followed by Ganesh Chaturthi in the west and several festivals in the north, they have seen an uptick in the number of queries for the petrol variants. “There would be an uptick, but it’s difficult say when there would be a pick up,” said a spokesperson.