Maruti’s biggest flop in India was this!

Maruti is a brand that everyone is familiar with in India. The majority Indian car buyers have owned a Maruti. This shows the brand’s dominance in our market. However, not all Maruti Suzuki cars have found success in our market, some have been big flops. Recently, Maruti discontinued the S-Cross, which can be considered a flop. However, the car we are going to talk about is Maruti’s biggest blunder in India. So which car is this? It is the Maruti Kizashi we are going to talk about. In today’s article, let’s talk about Maruti’s biggest flop. 

What was the Kizashi?

The Kizashi was a mid-size sedan made by Suzuki in Japan. In February 2011, Maruti introduced the car in India. Maruti had big ambitions from Kizashi to change its brand image in India. It wanted to position itself more in the premium segment.

So what was so special about the Kizashi? The Kizashi had sporty looks with a unique grille, sporty bumpers, a spoiler and 18-inch alloy wheels. It also used to come with heated exterior mirrors and rain-sensing wipers. It also got premium dual-tone interiors. What about the features? It used to get features like a powered driver seat, heated seats, ambient lighting and dual-zone climate control. Engine-specifications-wise, it was no slouch with a 2.4-litre petrol engine capable of producing 185bhp and 230Nm of torque.

Maruti Kizashi- Why did it fail?

So if the Kizashi was so good, why did it fail? Several factors contributed to its failure. However, the main reason was its steep pricing and Maruti’s brand image. The Kizashi used to come through the CBU (completely built unit) route making it quite expensive. The price of the Kizashi used to start from Rs 21.39 lakh. People were not ready to spend such a big amount on a Maruti car, which was known for its affordable cars. Also, the Kizashi missed out on a diesel engine option, something people preferred more in this price range. On top of that, spare part availability was also an issue as the Kizashi was a CBU car. Overall the Kizashi suffered due to its bad management and timing.

What are your thoughts about the Maruti Kizashi? Do let us know in the comments. 

If you have car buying doubts click here to ask! Get the lowest price for car insurance here. For more such content stay subscribed to MotorOctane Youtube, Google News Facebook, and Twitter. Also, follow us on Flipboard and Reddit where we have a discussion community.