Banks and other financial institutions have been given a sneak preview of Maruti Suzuki India’s upcoming low-cost car (possibly to work out financing deals?), which is expected to get a price tag of Rs 1.2 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh. The car will not be a new car, but will be a stripped down version of the Maruti 800 hatchback.
The Maruti 800 is a rebadged Suzuki 800, and used to be India’s best selling car until it was overtaken by the newer Maruti Alto. It is a car from the 1980s, but have been given several facelifts over the years… this all sounds very familiar. The cheapest Maruti 800 is currently about Rs 0.75 lakh more expensive than the target price that Maruti has set for the new low cost stripped down version.
The 5-door hatchback weighing around 650kg is powered by a 37 horsepower 796cc inline-3 engine engine, hence the 800 model name taken from an engine displacement rounded up to 800cc.
The Maruti 800 has an advantage over all the new players rushing into the low-cost car market such as the Tata Nano and the Bajaj ULC as the Indian public are already very familiar with the Maruti 800 and know what what they’re in for, while its competitors are basically a big question mark.
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go suzuki!!!
why my swift so mahal?
If the same concept applied here would there be buyers?
Perodua kancil still seem to have new buyers. maybe malaysians and south east asians need a cheaper basic transport ala tata nano?
I would not dare to sit in it man! U see the tyres! As is of it is going to ‘cabut’ like when drive over 90km/h. Hell, i need to put more weight into it before i dare to make my turn at corners….
We arealy got kancil here, and it’s ugly…
hehehe maybe we can sell our iswara over there
well, ugly or not, I think its better and safer than riding kapchai in Malaysia. Rain shine and smokes in the malaysian road.
for a car that size and built, traveling abt 60km/hr is ok lah. Anything beyond that speed meaning looking for problem for the driver.
time to start my very own Suzuki Maruti owner’s club (SMOC) Weee!
gosh… producing a car is no wrong for the company, the error here is the design… come on, we are now living in the new millennium where ppl talk style n passion… in this 21st century, i dare to say this car is out from the cave era… gosh… pls…
With rising fuel price, even this kind of car will get buyer (provided that they can withstand the look). Is this thing similar in dimension with the Tiara? I’ll say revive the Tiara with improvements than bring in this Maruti.
Roti Naan,
I doubt this thing can withstand kapchai, and kapchai nowadays are for rempits,
they won’t care rain, shine and smoke.
There is a limit to how small you can go. Too small, underpowered and you will be miserable your whole life. Though I would not mind if Peel P50 is legal on Malaysia roads :p
mokkf82 said,
June 17, 2008 @ 6:50 pm
I would not dare to sit in it man! U see the tyres! As is of it is going to ‘cabut’ like when drive over 90km/h. Hell, i need to put more weight into it before i dare to make my turn at corners….
We arealy got kancil here, and it’s ugly…
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Put on weight AND take corners? Did u fail physics or just come out a cave after a long nap with Fred Flintstone? More weight equals more lean = overturn at corners. Kancils are basic but i think they are solid and reliable. Of course at its time it was meant for a certain income bracket and needs. But today they serve student and fresh grads well. Im glad i have mine coz the fuel consumption is very good dude. I get 400km plus full tank on highway everyday. Will the new fuel rebate, i still dun lose u know. Seriously, be a bit patient wit little cars la, u kno in LOTR it was the little guy dat saved the day ;)
haha, Knight Templar is very right.
i take the kancil anyday, despite how ugly and small it is, it is cheap, and proven reliable by most people. all in all, it serves its purpose well. it is designed to take you from Point A-B. no flashy comfort or speed demon. or how safe you are in it.
it’s basically a transport.
but i don’t drive a kancil though. LOL.
u guys are naive, this was what paultan used to blog 3 years ago on his blog
http://www.geocities.com/photosnimages/accident_kancil_car.htm
(WARNING, GORY PICTURES INSIDE, VIEW WITH DISCRETION)
Just a budget car.
Does anyone realise how much Rs 1.2 lakh is? It is only about RM 10K. If RM 10K in malaysia, we can only afford a 10 year old kancil or a brand new Honda CBR150 motorbike.
these cars belong in the scrapyard, not showroom
We already have our own stripped out Kancil.
If you look at it at face value, they both push the same concept. Cheap, basic, no fills motoring.
The Kancis is expensive compared to the Maruti due to government taxes, and perodua profiteering from the situation.
Kevin_Lee
I see your point, But we can’t always apply the same logic. When accidents happen, there are hundreds of variables that come to play.
Kancils are already used beyond its intended application (its a city car not highway cruiser). And being the smallest (opps, not anymore – the Smart for2 is) everythign that is bigger and will deal you more damage.
But, if you take that logic, everyone will eventually be driving tanks. Even Humvees will be catastrophicaly destroyed if it was run over by a semi.
that is the fugliest car i’ve ever seen
maybe we can have stripped down version of Kancil…..
no aircond, no radio, and seats are all plastic, then sell it at RM10k….
Fact: bigger car/vehicle does not neccessarilly = safer car.
anyways.. india isn’t the only country in the world where car manufacturers rebadge and sell their super old models to a consumer that is generally poorer than consumers in other countries.
even toyota sells very old versions of their cars as brand new in africa. the cars will of course not be as safe as their current models, but it suits the environment and meets the needs of people there.. not every country in the world has the same needs. sadly, safety will always take a back seat first for economic development. sad but true.
i agree with u 4g63t dsm
my main highlight is that, older cars dont have euroncap, auncap or htsa ratings. these cars were not designed to be highway cars in mind. driving this car on the highway is plain suicide. i think instead of a kancil, might as well invest in a savvy or myvi. its proven to be safer than a kancil. i mean seriously, driving in a kancil is suicide. if u dont bump into someone, someone bumps into u
The car is safe for driving in Indian cities where you can’t go fast anyway. In all my time in India, the I have not seen any serious accidents in the city roads. It even felt safe to ride pillion there, the congestion simply do not permit any sort of momentum to cause serious impact. On the high way, though it is differnt story…… For us Malaysian, we need to start to learn to see cars as a point a to point b tool instead of an extension of their personalities. I know it is a depressing thought for car enthusiasts, but we have accept that the golden age of motoring is over.
yep… we’ll be seeing a lot of small and cheap cars