UPCOMING Make Maruti Suzuki Model A Star Facelift Fuel Types Petrol Price Rs. 3.84 lakh Key Specifications The car will get 1.0-litre K- Series engine, which will be produce a peak output of 68 PS while churning out maximum torque of 90 Nm. Maruti Suzuki A Star Facelift The Indian car market is said to have a great potential of becoming the top leader in terms of production and buyers. It has also enjoyed the status of fastest growing market for passenger cars and commercial vehicles in the recent past. With tremendous growth potential and a large base of car consumers, the Indian automotive industry is ideally suited for a number of auto makers, which is evident from the fact that all major companies are expanding their presence in India. In terms of exporting passenger and commercial vehicles, the country ranks among the top nations with its huge volumes of automobiles that are shipped to other countries. However, as per recent trend, the Indian car market is going through a rough patch with decline in the demand for cars. This stagnant demand has been mainly caused due to the increasing interest rates and rising fuel prices, which have marred the consumer sentiment in buying new vehicles. In a market, which is likely to grow at a positive rate in future, every major auto maker has set its sights on gaining a considerable market share. In India, many people would be aware of the success story of Maruti Suzuki, which has expanded its presence in India since its debut in 1982. Over the course of time, the company has devised different strategies in order to maintain a stronghold in passenger car segment of India. As of now, nearly three decades after its inception in India, Maruti Suzuki has become the leading car manufacturer of India with a market share of almost 40 per cent. The sales figures of its cars, itself speaks volumes about how the company has banked on the goodwill that it has made over the years in India. Maruti Suzuki has maintained a stranglehold on the entry-level compact car segment with its models like Alto and A-Star. These models have contributed immensely to company’s profit particularly the Alto model, which even became one of best-selling car for the company in the recent past. The other model, A-Star received a good response from the consumers in its initial stages but soon after its sales received a heavy setback after the launch of its various competitors. Currently, A-star has become the least selling car for Maruti Suzuki, lacking even behind the likes of Eeco and SX4 models. A-Star debuted in the Indian car market in 2008 and was manufactured by the company in its Manesar facility. A-Star is basically a re-badged version of new generation Alto in India. In foreign countries like China and Japan, A-Star was launched under the name of Alto. At present, the car is not doing well in the Indian auto market and the positioning of A-Star alongside the best-seller Alto has not worked well for the company. According to recent statistics shown by Maruti Suzuki, the car has fared badly in the Indian car market with results showing a declining sales trajectory. As seen by industry critics, the main reason for the failure of A-Star to perform well has been the competition of Hyundai Eon, which is cheaper and sportier than A-Star. It is being learnt that the company is planning to introduce a facelift model of A-Star in order to increase its demand and the car may be launched somewhere around first quarter of 2014. Recently, the Chief Operating Officer of Maruti Suzuki, Kenichi Ayuwaka further added to the speculation saying that the company is developing a series of products that will be showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo, which is elated to be held in New Delhi in February 2014. It is said that the newer version of A-Star shall get a revised new look along with some added features. However, as of now, no concrete information is available on A-Star undergoing a facelift but as seen by the industry experts, Maruti Suzuki might actually launch the model next year. In the meanwhile, Maruti Suzuki’s parent company is all set to launch the new look version of A-Star in China, which is locally known by the name of Alto there. The facelift Chinese version of Alto features new and revamped exteriors. In regard to the speculation building around Indian car market witnessing the launch of facelift version of A-Star, images of tested mules have started surfacing on the Internet. Engine & Specification of Maruti Suzuki A- Star Facelift According to reports, the reworked model of A-Star may get the same engine as provided in the existing model. Industry experts are also of the view that Maruti Suzuki might not change the overall engine specifications and the same the new model of A-Star might be provided with the same old K-Series petrol engine technology. Currently, the model is equipped with a 3- cylinder K-Series engine that has a displacement of 998 cc. This engine gives away a maximum power of 67 bhp at 6200 rpm. It is also capable of reaching a peak torque of 90 Nm at 3500 rpm. On the other hand, A-Star’s nearest competitor Hyundai Eon is powered with 3-cylinder MPi 5- speed manual engine, this 0.8-litre motor has 55 bhp of power while producing 76 Nm of torque. The car is only available in manual transmission option. So, clearly Maruti Suzuki’s A-Star leads the charge in engine and performance section. Maruti Suzuki is expected to offer different tuning options in its A-Star model in order to add a bit more power to the engine. In addition, the overall dimensions of the car are expected to change in the new A-Star as the exteriors will undergo major changes. As far the transmission is concerned, the car is expected to come out in same options of 5-speed manual and 4- speed automatic gearbox, which is currently seen powering the existing A-Star model. As claimed by the company, the existing model of A-Star gives away an impressive mileage of 19 kmpl, which is expected to come a bit down while driving on congested road conditions. Talking about the average of rival car Eon, as per company’s standard the fuel efficient engine of Eon gives away a brilliant mileage of 21.1 kmpl, which is slight greater than the A-Star. In terms of mileage, both the cars are almost equivalent but Hyundai’s Eon has a slight edge over A-Star with its light engine. Exterior, Interior and Safety features of Maruti Suzuki A-Star Facelift The major overhaul seen in the new version of A-Star can been seen in the exterior design of the vehicle, which is now revamped with a sportier new look. As seen on the A-Star’s facelift model set to launch in China, the car bears a more elongated and sportier accent. At its front fascia, a new chrome grille is provided to give the desired uber-cool look, which was missing in the previous version. Apart from addition of a chrome grille, it is also provided with new bumpers and headlights. The odd looking headlights have now paved way for the elongated ones, which looks quite good. In addition, its new front fascia comprises new bumpers and fog lamps to give a more muscular and matured look to the car. On the sides, the car is almost the same as compared to the existing model with similar A and B pillars but one noticeable change can be seen in the overall height of the car, which has now been increased due to usage of a taller frame. At the rear end of the vehicle, an all-new bumper is given with a sporty an edgy design. The new set of tail lights are given with an all-new LED design. On looking closely at the dimensions of the vehicle, the overall size has now changed with the car appearing to be much bigger and spacious than its previous make. The car will get a longer wheelbase in order to increase the interior space that is offered. To assess the overall changes made to its exterior, the end result is that the next generation A-Star has been given a much sportier and far more better look than its existing model. According to what is anticipated by the industry experts, interiors too are provided with a new lease of life with changed seat fabrics and enhanced dashboard aesthetics. Now with improved quality of plastics, the facelift version of A-Star can be seen sporting a dashboard mounted automatic gearbox along with a slot for single din music system. The legroom and headroom space are bound to increase as the car sports a taller and wider design as compared to the current generation model. In addition, one can also see a considerable space being offered at the boot of the car. Regarding the features, the company has not revealed any information even in the foreign market so as of now it is expected that the new A-Star to come equipped with enhanced features that were missing in the present model. However, it is unclear as to what exactly will the facelift version of A-Star be provided with in the Indian car market, Pricing has always been one of the major factors that have led to A-Star registering a steep decline in its sales. The car is overly priced at Rs. 3.84 lakh (ex- showroom) for the base variant while the top-end one is offered at Rs. 4.69 lakh. Maruti Suzuki needs to draw a leaf from Hyundai’s book, which has set an aggressive pricing strategy for Eon. The base variant of the car is offered at price of Rs. 2.85 lakh while it further goes up till Rs. 3.87 lakh for the top variant. So, there is difference of almost Rs. 1 lakh between getting a base variant of A-Star instead of driving home a top-end model of Eon. In a car market where majority of the potential buyers opt for budget friendly cars that are high on fuel efficiency, Maruti premium hatchback lacks availability of a diesel engine due to which it has not lived up to the companys expectations. So in order to revive the sales of its low selling model A-Star, Maruti Suzuki needs to bring in a diesel version of the car to effectively counter the challenging market conditions. Furthermore, another reason cited for A- Star faring a small share in the compact car segment has been the in-house competition it offered to Alto, which is a best-selling model of Maruti Suzuki in the entry-level compact car segment. The slotting of A-star above Alto has not bore any fruit for the company, as latter is provided with respectable features in a competitive pricing range, which the consumers most favours rather than choosing on the costly A-Star. In addition, the major competitor Eon, is offered at a far less price along with the features that are provided in the A-Star. The current A-Star model available in Indian car market has not gone any substantial upgrade in its engine and design department since its launch in 2008. Although the company introduced minor changes that were meted out to the front and back end of the body, it did found many takers of the car. More or less the company has altered the designing of the car was by minimal means and now with the speculation of a new facelift version of A-Star, it is being said that things might work in favour of A-Star. There are rumours doing the rounds, that Alto will soon be launched in a diesel variant in the India car market and it will be interesting to see how A-Star positions itself along with flagship entry level car of the company. As of now, industry experts expect that Maruti Suzuki to launch the facelift version of A-Star in the coming months and it will be exciting to see how the cars fares amid the tough competition.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 10:31:17 +0000
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