Mangalore Taxi Launched Maruti Suzuki Ertiga in Taxi and Car Rental Services
Maruti Suzuki Ertiga in Taxi Services in Mangalore by Mangalore Taxi: Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest car manufacturer on Thursday, April 12 2012 launched its light utility vehicle (LUV) Ertiga at an introductory price range of Rs 5.89 lakhs to Rs 8.45 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi).
Maruti Suzuki Ertiga will come in both petrol & diesel versions. With this car, the company has introduced its K-14 VVT 1.4 litre petrol engine in India. Maruti has termed it to be a Life Utility Vehicle (LUV). The Ertiga also comes with a new 1.4-litre K-Series petrol engine that uses variable valve timing and a 1.3-litre turbocharged diesel mill. Maruti claims that the seven seater car, will come with a fuel efficiency of 20.77 kmpl for its diesel variant (1.3 litre DDiS Super Turbo engine). The headlamp, in particular, resembles the Swift’s while the rest of the exterior looks like an extended version of the Maruti Suzuki Ritz. Its closest competitors could be the Mahindra Bolero and Tata Sumo Victa among diesel-powered cars. Among petrol MPVs though, it will likely have a free run.
Maruti Suzuki has entered the multi-purpose vehicle market with the launch of its Ertiga MPV at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo. The new Ertiga kick starts a new compact premium UV (utility vehicle) segment in India and will soon be joined by Chevrolet, Mahindra and others. So before the new players join the party let’s compare the pioneer of the mini MPV class, Ertiga with the ruling boss of this segment, the new Toyota Innova.
Pitching the new Ertiga (which means three rows in Indonesian language) against the recently facelifted Toyota Innova seems odd since they don’t belong to the same segment and are targeted at a different set of customer base. But going by the lack of options for MPV buyers in our automobile market the Ertiga vs Innova duel won’t feel out of place. The Utility Vehicle (UV= MPV + SUV) segment accounts for around 14 per cent of the total sale of vehicles in India and a 66 per cent of these are Multi-Purpose Vehicles (MPV), the segment where Ertiga is positioned.
Innova has been ruling Indian hearts for many years due to its proven reliability and workhorse powerplant. Maruti Suzuki’s Ertiga is new but coming from the stable of India’s largest automobile manufacture gives it a certain halo of trust in the eyes of masses. Though an MPV, the Ertiga has a very car-like styling and stance. The front resembles a buffed up Ritz hatchback while the peeled-back headlights are reminiscent of the new Swift which along with the pronounced wheel arches and a strong rising shoulder line gives it a bold stance. The rear has a distinct design with Honda Jazz like tail light. But it can still be easily identified from behind as a Maruti product with its trademark centrally located stop lamp at the bottom of the bumper.
With the launch of its Ertiga, Maruti not only intends to attract a new class of customers into its fold but also expects to take away many of the Toyota buyers who used to shop in the ‘Innova market’. Now that’s easier said than done. Ertiga does not make a style statement like say the Fluidic Hyundai but its appeal lies in the neutral ‘please all’ design and that’s what is going to help it be the choice of the whole family. So let’s try to decipher the new Ertiga while not forgetting what Innova has to offer.