Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) on Monday launched the fourth generation of its best-selling sedan -- Dzire -- with petrol and S-CNG models at a starting price of Rs 6.79 lakhs. The country’s largest carmaker is pinning hopes on the new model to increase its sales in the ailing sedan segment.
Once the number one selling car in the country, Dzire sales have plummeted in recent times amidst a growing preference for sports utility vehicles (SUVs). In the months of August and September, Dzire sales came down to 10,000-11,000 units/month level compared to more than 16,000 units sold in May 2024.
The new Dzire comes with radical design changes and unlike its predecessors, it is competently different from the Swift hatchback. It is also the first Maruti car to get a 5-star Global NCAP crash test rating and has the best fuel efficiency in its segment.
Maruti Suzuki MD and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said that while the SUV segment has been growing, other segments are also important to the company to maintain its high market share. He added that Dzire has been a global success for the automaker with around 30 lakh units sold so far across markets.
MSIL’s senior executive officer of marketing and sales Partho Banerjee said the company hopes to enhance its share in the sedan market with the new offering. He added that the outgoing version of Dzire clocked over 1.6 lakh units last year and the company expects better growth from the new offering.
"Being the market leader we need to be present in all the segments…Our take is this, in each segment, we need to be present and offer products to the consumers. Let the consumer decide which form factor they want to go," said Banerjee.
The new Dzire will continue to compete against Tata Tigor, Honda Amaze and Hyundai Aura. Honda will be launching the new generation of Amaze on December 4.
MSIL also is targeting markets like UAE, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Mexico and other Latin American countries with the new Dzire. It expects the sedan to accelerate exports as it eyes over 3 lakh units of overseas shipments this fiscal.
The new Dzire is powered by the Z-Series 1.2L engine available in both Petrol and CNG models. The petrol variant comes equipped with Idle Start Stop technology and Dual VVT delivering 60 kW of peak power at 5700 rpm and 111.7 Nm of peak torque at 4300 rpm.
In S-CNG mode, the engine generates 51.3 kW@5700 rpm and 101.8 Nm at 2900 rpm.
MSIL claims Dzire is India’s most fuel-efficient sedan with a fuel economy of 24.79 km/litre in Petrol MT and 33.73 km/kg in S-CNG mode, marking an 11% and 8% improvement, respectively, as compared to the previous model.
