Maruti Wagon R Stingray India launch could happen on August 20

Regulars here would remember that we were among the firsts to report that the Wagon R Stingray, the decidedly sportier looking variant of the world’s first tallboy, is headed to India. Last month, we posted spy pics of a couple of Wagon R Stingray cars that were spotted running on public roads of India.

Now, it is being said that the Maruti Wagon R Stingray India launch could happen on August 20!

The India-bound Maruti Wagon R Stingray isn’t completely unlike the Wagon R that has been on sale in our country. The only changes that we can make out between our Wagon R and the India spec Wagon R Stingray are a new front grille, sleeker headlights, a new bumper, new alloys and revised tail lamps.

While we are certainly in love with the Stingray’s front fascia, we are not really appreciative of the fact that Maruti has preferred to keep the rear largely unchanged. It may be noted that the Japan spec Wagon R Stingray gets an altogether different rear, which looks much more attractive than the one we have on our Wagon R.

The insides of the Maruti Wagon R Stingray are expected to benefit from an upholstery change, faux silver inserts, a 2 DIN In Car Entertainment system and Stingray sill plates and floor mats.

The Wagon R Stingray for India is expected to be propelled by the same 1.0-liter K Series 3 cylinder engine that powers the standard variants of the Wagon R. This motor has a max power of 68PS and a peak torque of 90Nm. We do expect the Stingray to come with better throttle response than the regular Wagon R.

The retail price of the upcoming Maruti Wagon R Stingray could command a premium of around INR 45,000-50,000 over that of the regular Wagon R.

A safe guess would be that the Stingray would be promoted as a ‘sporty’ variant of the Wagon R. We feel that the Stingray does look smarter than the Wagon R and this means that the upcoming variant could appeal to the youngsters, who have so far remained away from the car due to its boxy styling and uninspiring looks.

Go to next page for more pics of India spec Maruti Wagon R Stingray