Maruti Y1K will be coming to production as Zen ?

The country’s biggest automobile manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki is working on another new car. The car is code named, Y1K. Will it be a more premium Alto or something else? Yes and no. The car is going to be slotted above the Maruti Alto so yes it will be more premium and little more feature loaded. The car will sit below the Wagon R which will make it more suited to an entry level buyer. But will it be the new Zen? That marquee has not been used by Maruti ever since the Zen Estilo flopped and was discontinued. The car will not be called the new Ritz or A-Star as they too were unsuccessful names.

Apart form the cars place in the line up and name, we know that it will take on the Renault Kwid. The Kwid with it’s SUV like features, high ground clearance, touchscreen and AMT gearbox makes up for a pretty decent package. The Maruti Y1 K concept has shown us that the upcoming car will have SUV like features and will sure keep the Kwid in it’s cross-hairs when it’s put into production.

Maruti Y1K Launch

This car is scheduled to launch in 2020. Maruti is also going to overhaul the Alto. The new-gen Alto is scheduled to come in by 2021. Along with the Maruti Y1K, there are many models that are planned to be given a complete makeover.

Maruti Y1K Price

The cars price is too early to predict. But with the Renault Kwid and Datsun Redigo as it’s main rivals, the car will get a competitive price. If we can predict, the cars pric should start Rs 3.5 lakhs and go up to Rs 5 lakhs.

Maruti Y1K Design

The new structural reforms and the plans to make the all cars compliant with BS6 norms will have to be considered. This means that existing cars like the Alto and Wagon R will be given features like Airbags, ABS, EBD and other safety features. The Y1K will be based on the Future S concept and will draw a lot of inspiration from that car. Will it be a spin-off job and be the new Zen? It could be. Maruti did a good job with reviving the Baleno marquee. This car could be a revival project for the Zen. The designing could be done with proportions kept in mind. The car will not be tasteless though. We think that the car should get some what SUV like design cues and the body panels will reflect that.

And when we see the talk about small cars as a whole, Maruti’s managing director Kenichi Ayukawa has said that small cars will continue to be the focus of the company. This is after Maruti has done well with mid-sized SUVs and sedans and has increased its margins and profits in the last two years. So why the Y1K?

“Small is beautiful and good enough for a product,” Ayukawa had told a publication earlier this year. “Customer demand is changing very fast. Any time, they want an affordable and good product… that is a basic. With the economic situation in the country changing, minds of customers are also changing. We have to find out what they are expecting. But affordability continues to be a very important aspect. That remains the bottom line of the Indian market,” Ayukawa said about changing preference of the Indian consumers.

Maruti Y1K Specifications

The car’s in its R&D stage right now. It is being developed by Maruti at the Rothak facility. A source from Maruti has told one publication that the Y1K will be between 800cc and 1000cc. It will be offered with a petrol option only. The company will face the task of making sure the car is complainant of all regulations till 2020. While that is a challenge, this means that Maruti will be creating a new mini segment in the market with the Y1K.

With the development of the Y1K, this idea of making small cars an important part of the company portfolio remains. We hope to see this car launched in 2020.

Maruti Y1K Competititon

The Maruti Y1K will compete directly with the Renault Kwid and the Datsun Redi-Go. The car will get more premium touches than the Alto and will get a better equipment list and features.