When the WagonR and the Santro first arrived, they were the most unusual four-wheeled sight for our sockets in India. At a time when things like jelly bean and three-box ruled, the tall-boy design looked every bit weird and stood out. But for all practical reasons, we loved it so much, after vanishing, the Santro is already making a comeback. How can the WagonR then not be ready for a fight?
To be here in early 2019, the next-gen Maruti WagonR’s styling will retain a silhouette similar to the current car. But how that metal will be coated, bent and hammered will be slightly different. It won’t look as whacky as the updated Kei car which was dished out in Japan last year, but the styling in general will be toned down to suit Indian tastes.
Powering the next-gen Maruti WagonR will in all probability be the 1.0-litre K-Series engine. However, along with the usual 5-speed stick option, Maruti can throw in an AMT option, given the rising popularity of automatics. According to the source of this report, the next-gen WagonR won’t be based on the more expensive ‘HeartTect’ platform which underpins the new Swift and also the Baleno. Instead, the little car will be festooned with features to take on the new Santro, which will most probably come loaded with first-in-segment features, straight out of the factory.
Also Read: New Maruti Suzuki WagonR India Launch Reportedly Scheduled During Festive Season
In terms of safety, Maruti could offer twin airbags and ABS as standard. And unlike Shahrukh Khan and his new Santro, it could be Madhavan again in an ‘Everyday Guy’ avatar trying to sell you an intelligent piece of machinery. Tiny car wars are here to stay and it’ll be interesting to see how they fare against each other, when these two really old rivals slug it out in a new avatar. They won’t be alone though. There’s newer and prettier competition around already.
Source: Autocar