When I talk about the outlook of the Indian market from a decade ago, a lot has been changed from then. To keep it crisp and short, I'll stick to the automotive industry only. So the Indian market has come a long way focusing from 'Kitna deti hai' to 'kitna safe hai'. Back in 2011 when Maruti was known for fuel efficiency and manufacturing budget cars only, they brought in Suzuki Kizashi.
Maruti introduced the Suzuki Kizashi as an executive sedan which only gathered the attention of a few car enthusiasts and well, the wealthy people only. I say it because it was brought in as a CBU which put in an extra 105% import duty. Hence, the starting price of the Kizashi was Rs 16.50 lakh for the manual and Rs 17.50 lakh for the automatic variant.
Now, few of our readers might disagree with the headline that it was a total disaster for the Indian market but hey, I am clearly sharing my thoughts from the sales perspective. The Kizashi was one of the supremely expensive yet safest and fastest sedan when it was launched. But the pricier tag failed to impress Indian buyers.
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Under the hood, it got a 2.4-litre engine which produced as much as 176 bhp at 6,500 rpm with a peak torque of 230 Nm at 4,000 rpm. The engine was mated to a 6-speed manual or an optional CVT gearbox which came with paddle-shifters. Clearly, for enthusiasts, the stick shift was one of the popular choices back then. (Sorry, my bad! The stick shift is still better than automatic. Period)
Feature-wise the Kizashi came in with automatic climate control, rear AC vents, power-adjustable driver's seat, infotainment unit which supported CD and USB, a multi-information display and among others. It also got 17-inch alloy wheels, electrically adjustable ORVMs and the rear saw dual-exhaust chrome pipes. It sure made the sedan stand out amongst its rivals.
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Unlike other Maruti cars sold back then, this one offered better handling, good pick up and valuable steering feedback. Safety features on this one included 5-star rating from the Global NCAP, 8 airbags, Disc brake on all wheels, ABS with EBD, speed-sensing door lock, seatbelts with pre-tensioners and load limiter and impact sensing auto door unlock.
Should Maruti once again experiment with expensive sedans? The Ciaz today carries an on-road price of over Rs 13-14 lakh and there is scope to get a sedan above this. Will this happen?
