The country’s largest carmaker Maruti-Suzuki here showcased their new entrant into the expanding crossover segment the S-Cross. The car which will be formally launched in August will take on products like the Ford EcoSport and Renault Duster.
In addition to the new car, Maruti also showcased their new retail concept ‘Nexa’. Speaking at the launch event, Randhir Singh Kalsi, Maruti’s head of domestic sales and marketing explained that the new retail concept was a big departure for the car-maker which was now hoping to have a larger proportion of premium products in its portfolio. The Nexa showrooms will have premium interiors and customers will be able to configure their cars on digital tablets.
Initially only the S-Cross will be the only car to be sold at the new Nexa showrooms, as Kalsi explained that there is no plan to shift other products such as the Ciaz to the Nexa outlets. However, he did disclose that Maruti has several exciting new products in its pipeline that will be exclusively sold through Nexa.The first Nexa showroom is already being tested as part of a pilot project in Delhi’s Dwarka area. According to Kalsi, the carmaker has plans to rapidly expand the showroom network to 100 showrooms by March 2016.
The S-Cross, which is Maruti’s latest product is expected to transform the crossover market. Maruti is importing a new 1.6 litre DDiS Diesel engine for this car in addition to the 1.3 litre Diesel engine that serves across its range currently. The new engine which is connected to a new six-speed gearbox will make the S-Cross the most powerful diesel car in its class explained CV Raman, Executive Director, Engineering, Maruti. There are currently no plans for a petrol variant or an automatic transmission, however Maruti is equipping all variants of this car with airbags.Raman also disclosed that Maruti is also exploring the possibility of installing airbags across its product line-up, even in more basic models. The S-Cross is expected to go on sale by mid to end August.