India’s top car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki is a worried house. Their problem is that only two of their models – Swift hatchback and Swift DZire sedan have been contributing extensively to overall sales while other models haven’t been very popular.
This is not a good sign for the company inspite of their having posted the highest growth among all car manufacturers in India. The MD and CEO of Maruti Suzuki Mr. Nakanishi, has been very frank in admitting this fact and the company has been working towards a solution to this.
A reason for this could be that after the Maruti 800 and Swift, other cars from Maruti’s stable haven’t been very different. Industry analysts also suggest that the Alto, Zen, and WagonR were actually just differently built 800s. Space and design of cars in the Maruti line-up didn’t see much variation either until the Swift hatchback arrived. Encouraged by the response to Swift hatch, Maruti launched the DZire sedan, knowing fully well that it would be a winner from the start.
The difference between the two phases of Maruti Suzuki – the 800-based cars and the Swift-based cars, is the change in engine options. People wanted more power, better fuel efficiency, and more interior space. Maruti also offers diesel options on the Swift hatchback. Maruti Suzuki needs to focus on offering something new to the Indian people as the competition continuously thickens.
It is a good observation. M800 is failing, but Maruti does not want to accept it. It is holding on to the model as though it is a classic. I would say that Swift hatch is a classic car as it changed buyers perception towards cars forever. The company should not have reversed it idea to phase out M800 and Omni from Indian roads. These cars do not command a decent re-value too.
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