Since Maruti didn’t have any new facelifts of its existing models as it has already launched various BS-4 compliant models, it decided to show what modifications you could do with your current Maruti. I for one was awestruck by the potential of these hatchbacks and I wonder why modification stereo types exist.

Modified Swifts:

Let’s start off with the Swift which is the most modification friendly car in India. Auto Expo saw two of these one a very usual modified Swift in Red with white stripes and a pretty good body kit which you can live with, the other had outrageous Alien machine sort of modification. Modifications were done on the interior as well, with dashboard material and colors changed and Stock seats were replaced with very comfortable old school sports coupe kind of ones.

Modified A-Star:

Modifications done on all these Marutis included exterior body kits like, front and rear bumpers and side skirts and even a spoiler in the case of A-Star which definitely was the most craziest mod on the show. A-Star’s body kit must have taken more quantity of molten plastic than all the other mods combined. It was so enormous that it looked like a lotus with endless layers of pink petals.

Alto Xcite:

The best modified cheap car award (if there was one) has to go to the Alto Xcite. Selling at 22,000units a month, it is definitely the most lovable cheap car in India. With that Maruti could have called it a day but no. Maruti has given the Alto a new avatar for the Expo. What we have here is the reincarnation of 70’s best looking hot hatchs. I am even tempted to call it the DB5 of cheap cars. This amazing blend of paint job and red blue racing stripes running down the sides is hugely responsible for the outcome. The 70’s style alloy wheels and tire threads seal the deal. This package wins me over completely.

Modified Ritzs:

The best mod on the entire floor has to be the Ritz blue whose modifications are done very tasteful and the fit is finished to the last millimeter. The color is fresh and the interior refreshing. The other Ritz, the one is gold is quite a show dog on the outside with a big hollow front grill. Again the interior is as neat as plain paper.

Wagon R Hiker:

The most happening mod on the floor has to be the Wagon R Hiker not because everyone was rampaging towards it but because it had the most amount of things on it, including a ladder. Interior is done in a mix of black and orange which is alright expect for the hideous center console orange cover.

Estilo Elegenza:

Estilo Eleganza as it is named, this modified Estilo is the most uninteresting mod on the floor, it would have been better off if it didn’t have any of those body kits on or if it was painted in a different color.

Modified SX4:

Let alone the body kits, the enormous radiator grill, what is kick ass about this SX4 mod is its alloys.

Grand Vitara Modified:

There were two Grand Vitara modifications on the floor one in purple and another in a greenish gold paintjob which is unique and the alloys it sports look like a sharp Kung-Fu weapon. On top of these mods this Vitara has a spare wheel on top of it. But for some reason a big SUV doesn’t fit well in a family full of hatchbacks.

Swift Dzire Luxury:

Swift Dzire Luxury was more of a sportier mod than luxury. Out of all the mods the Dzire luxury was the only one which looked familiar.

Maruti-Suzuki unveiled the R3 concept at the Delhi Auto Expo 2010. It’s an MPV with seating for six people, but for a car which seats six, it looks ridiculously small and quite good in fact. The good looks are as much of a surprise as the capacity, considering the fact that it was Indian-Designed (at ths point one may recall the Swift “Dzrie”). The R3 has more going for it as it is bound to hit the market in about two years and should hit it at its soft spot. The MPV segment is getting rather crowded at the moment and this car could not have come at better time as Maruti looks to consolidate its market-leader position.

How much of the concepts quirkiness will the production model retain? What engine will it be powered by? How will it hold up against competition from Tata and Toyota to name a few?…All questions for which we will know the answers by 2012, when it is scheduled for production.

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Maruti launched its Versa van replacement Eeco (which is pretty much the same except for few details) a couple of days back during the ongoing Delhi Auto Expo. At first glance you won’t be able to differentiate Eeco from Versa, not even on the second glance and neither on the third. That’s because Versa was too much of a flop to have been seen on the road and stuck in our minds. What Eeco really is a Bharat Stage 4 emissions compliant Versa whose looks have been mercilessly compromised for pricing it at Rs. 2.59lakhs ex-showroom Delhi. Versa was prettier than the Eeco by mile but I would pick Eeco at 2.59lakhs any day over a Versa which was sold for more than 4lakhs.

The engine is smaller than the Versa’s by a 100cc at 1.2L and producing 73ps of power. The gear shift has been made smooth with a new first of its kind technology called DS. Eeco is trying to sound too environmental friendly for a boxy people carrier with its ELV compliant which stands for End of Life for Vehicles which means that Eeco sticks to the limit in usage of harmful elements like lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium. Maruti is so out of words with the Eeco they start taking chemistry class in the Press Release. If I were Maruti I would stop at just the price and people carrying capacity of Eeco.

Eeco being a people carrier is available in 5-seat and 7-seat configurations but only the 5-seater gets A/C and the 7-seater doesn’t. The reason for this is quite clear. To get cool air to the third row would mean an extra vent and rise in price. The A/C 5-seater costs Rs. 2.85lakhs and the non A/C 7-seater Rs 2.79lakhs.

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Comparison between Eeco, Versa and Omni:

Eeco is bigger than the Omni in every way, except for the seating capacity. The only difference in dimension between Eeco and Versa is the height.

Press Release:

The tall boy Wagon R has been the family favorite Maruti for some years now and Maruti is hoping to retain it with a facelift. The car has had minor facelift since its launch in 2001 but this time the changes is major. Wagon R is shedding off its boxy and rather well suited design for a more blunt Estiloish looks.

Maruti does this a lot, killing off a legendary design for a more contemporary look. The Zen which was one of the best mini hot hatches ever to have been launched in India (though it has been a total Golf rip-off) was replaced with a tall body design Estilo which was in complete contradiction to Zen’s essence. And while replacing a legend like Esteem Maruti was merciless. However Maruti has been correct with its legend killing methods, check out the sales numbers of november for proof. And as the tale goes we expect this new blunt Wagon R to sell like a Maruti.

The Pre-launch pictures of the Maruti Versa replacement Eeco has been on the scene for some time now and from what we see we hardly find it any different from the Versa, worse than that it looks much more lifeless and boxy (but not in the same way as Nissan’s cube), i wouldn’t be surprised if these pictures were a hoax, it is looking that pre-historic. The only upside to this old new vehicle is its engine, which is a 1.2L engine which complies with Bharat IV emission norms. There is one hidden improvement which is point less, a system for making the gear shift smooth.

As time and time over Maruti has proved the lot wrong with the success of the bad backed Swift dzire replacing an icon like esteem and its unstoppable stretch of small car range. And even this time they have got one thing right, the price. According to vicky.in the prices for the non-ac 7-seater variant starts at 2.78lakh and the price for the ac 7-seater van is predicted at 3.45lakh. A 5-seater option is also available. So what we have here is a one up on the omni with a bit more breathing space.

So much for the Verna being replaced by Suzuki Apv rumor

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As we previewed earlier, Suzuki showcased its future technology with two of its current hatchbacks. The Swift gets a Plug-in hybrid treatment while the SX4 hatch gets to play Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV). This Swift has a 600cc engine and a motor powered by batteries. The batteries can be charged from the house-hold power socket, which will be good enough for a distance of 20kms. To cover longer distance the engine will charge the batter and the battery will run the motor and the car. so the engine never runs the car directly. This technology is similar to that to GM’s Chevy Volt.

The SX4 fuel Cell Vehicle has a onboard arrangement which converts Hydrogen into electricity and this electricity in used to run the motor which in turn runs the car. This Fuel Cell arrangement in the SX4 comes from GM. This concept even has regenerative braking which saves fuel. Big and bring the technology might be but there is no official word from Suzuki that they will put these two into production. So this might just be a matter of “Look how Green we are” theme that’s been going around in Auto shows.

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The yet to be launched new SX4 was photo shot at a dealer by a fellow petro head. So the official launch might be around the corner. The car from his impressions looks a bit beige with new wood work on the door. The interior remains pretty much the same other than that and so does the exterior expect for a new weave in the front grill.

As mentioned earlier the new SX4 comes with a new engine which is meets Bharath Stage IV emission norms, the engine has Variable Valve Timing (VVT) which will make it fuel efficient at low speed and provide more power when you put the foot down. The new car also comes with an Automatic variant which is likely to cost around 9.5Lakh Rupees on-road.

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