Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), India’s largest car manufacturer, has introduced the upgraded version of its A-Star hatchback on 25th January. This new version of Maruti Suzuki A-Star was launched for sale by the company on 27th January. The revamped model sports a starting price tag of Rs. 3.66 lacs, up by approximately Rs. 1,000 as compared to the older version of A-Star.
The company came decided to upgrade the car after the earlier A-Star failed to attract customers in the domestic market. Consumers did not appreciate the cramped interiors of the car despite its high performing 1 litre petrol engine and impressive handling. Moreover, the restricted space in A-Star turned off customers who were looking for a family car.
In order to withstand the fierce competition in the Indian automobile market, Maruti Suzuki had to come up with new ideas, resulting in the major alterations and upgradations in the A-Star model. Shashank Srivastava, Chief General Manager (Marketing), Maruti Suzuki India Limited, was present during the unveiling of new A-Star. He stated, “A-star is one of the most vibrant brands in our portfolio. The smart modifications in the spiced-up A-star are in line with customer feedback and seek to enhance the overall look, feel and comfort of the buyers."
According to company officials, the new edition of A-Star will have more space in its back seats. Moreover, beige and black upholstery, bottle holders, 50:50 split rear seats, more cubby holes in cabin, cubby holders on rear doors and bottle holders are some of the features of the new A-Star hatchback. Taking in consideration the customers’ feedback, the company has upgraded front headrests and introduced front seats with scooped back to increase leg room for rear passengers. Integrated rear spoiler, alloy wheels, roof spoiler, dual airbags and ABS (optional) are other new features notable of the A-Star hatchback. The upgraded model will be offered in two new colours, namely Pearl Caffeine Brown and Metallic Glistening Grey.
Coming to the motor, the revamped A-Star model has been equipped with a 1 litre K series engine that delivers maximum power of 67 hp and peak torque 90 Nm. In case of transmission options, the model would be available with five speed manual and four speed automatic gearboxes. Maruti Suzuki has added a new variant to the A-Star line-up, namely Zxi, which would be the new top-end version of the car in the country. The new variants of the A-Star would be available in the Indian automobile market between the price range of Rs. 3.66 lacs to 4.47 lacs.
Before introducing the new A-Star, the company had introduced the automatic version of this model, which accounts for approximately 1/3rd of A-Star’s total sales. So far, the company has been able to sell 3.81 lac units of A-Star. MSIL has exported more than 2.81 lac A-Star models in across 130 countries, including South Africa, Italy, Germany, Australia, Spain, the Netherlands and the U.K., to name a few
