Maruti Suzuki on Wednesday launched its new hatchback A-Star in the Indian market and said it would in four years come out with its first indigenous car.The A-Star will be available at an introductory price ranging from Rs 347,000 to Rs 412,000.
Although Nano was expected to be in the market by now, but which could not fulfill it's promise, for more than one reasons. But that doesn't mean Maruti's new model A-Star will be free from competition, as this year and the year ahead is full of small cars in the Indian 4-wheeler market. i10 from Hyundai, Spark from Chevrolet, and the already present cars like Alto and Swift from Maruti itself.
"We have started the ground work to launch a car which is conceived, designed and developed fully in India," Maruti Suzuki India managing executive officer (engineering) I V Rao told PTI. The company is hopeful of rolling out the car in the next four years, he added. He however, declined to comment whether it would be a small car or a bigger one."We are discussing it internally," Rao said.
A-Star is Maruti's fifth global model which would be manufactured only in India. The company plans to sell 50,000 units in the domestic market, while targets to export 100,000 units.The car would be manufactured at Manesar production facility. A-Star will be powered by a 998cc K10B petrol engine and will be available in three variants in the domestic market. For exports, the company would manufacture A-Star in over 200 variants and sell to around 150 coutures across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia, Australia and Africa.
The company expects that A-Star would contribute half of its overall export target of 200,000 units by 2010-11.
| VEHICLE SUMMARY |
|
| Name | A-Star Model |
| Vxi Car Body Type | Hatchback Segment:A Segment |
|
|
| ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS |
|
| Displacement | 998cc, 3 cyl, MPFi, KB-series |
| Engine Type | Petrol |
| Maximum Power | 67 Bhp @ 6200 rpm |
| Maximum Torque | 90 Nm @ 3500 rpm |
|
|
| DIMENSIONS |
|
| Length | 3500 mm |
| Width | |
| Height | 1490 mm |
|
|
| OTHER SPECIFICATIONS |
|
| Seating Capacity | 4 |
| Tyre Size:155/80 R13 | 155/80 R13 |
| MacPherson Strut & Coil Springs |
| Turning Circle | 4.50 mtrs. |
| Boot Space | 129.00 ltrs. |
| Steering | Power |
| Brakes | Front Ventilated, Rear Disk |
| Gears | 5 |
| Manual Ground Clearance | 170.00 mm |
| Fuel Tank | 35 |
|
|
| COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE |
|
| AC | AC Without Climate Control |
| Power Windows: | Yes |
| Central Locking | Manual |
| Remote Boot | Yes |
| Yes |
| Rear Wiper | No |
| Rear Armrest | No |
| Streeing Adjustment (Rake/Reach) | Yes/No |
| Driver Seat Adjustment | Manual |
| Music System | CD Player with 2 Speakers |
| Leather Seats | No |
| Door Mirror | Driver Side Manual |
| Tinted Glass | No |
| Rear AC Vent | No |
| Folding Rear Seats | Yes |
| No |
| Buttons/Controls on Steering | No |
| Auto Viper | No |
| Auto Headlamp | No |
A-Star is Maruti's fifth global model which would be manufactured only in India. The company plans to sell 50,000 units in the domestic market, while targets to export 100,000 units.The car would be manufactured at Manesar production facility. A-Star will be powered by a 998cc K10B petrol engine and will be available in three variants in the domestic market. For exports, the company would manufacture A-Star in over 200 variants and sell to around 150 coutures across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia, Australia and Africa.
