The current times have proven to be very difficult not just for the consumers but also for the car manufacturers. Uncertain demand and lockdowns every now and then have caused a lot of losses. The shortage in material and semiconductor chips has caused many manufacturers to hike up their prices. The current market leader i.e. Maruti Suzuki has already announced two price hikes this year and now they are set to hike up the prices for the third time this month.
Reason for the hike
The company announced, “Over the past year, the cost of company’s vehicles continues to be adversely impacted due to increase in various input costs.” “ The price rise has been planned across models in September 2021”. In January, the company had announced a price hike of 1.4% which was followed by another hike of 1.6% in April. The company has announced the rate of a hike but it is expected to be higher than all the hikes till now. Expect all the models in Maruti’s portfolio to be affected by the price hike.
Maruti Suzuki portfolio
The current Maruti Suzuki portfolio is priced between ₹2.99 lakhs to ₹12.39 lakhs. Maruti Suzuki launched the facelifted version of the Swift. The next product in line will be the next generation Celerio. The next-generation Celerio was recently spotted undisguised during an ad shoot. The next-generation Maruti Celerio has been long due and in fact, its launch has been postponed many times due to the pandemic. Rest assured, the new Celerio is all set to be launched in the coming months. The new Celerio will be based on the Heartect platform which underpins other Maruti Suzuki cars.
There will be a lot of parts sharing with the new Wagon R like switches, stalks, buttons etc. The interiors are going to be completely revamped too. Expect features like smartplay infotainment system with android auto and apple carplay, electrically adjustable mirrors, reverse parking camera, steering mounted audio controls, dual airbags and ABS to name a few. Powertrain options will include two petrol engine options.. Gearbox options will include a 5-speed manual and AMT. Expect a CNG variant in the future as well. As mentioned before, the design is a far cry from the current Celerio’s design and it will be completely new.