With 4 launches this fiscal, Maruti Suzuki's reign in India could just get longer; what we can expect

Maruti Suzuki, the country's largest car-maker, is pushing to introduce at least four models in the Indian market in the current 2017-18 fiscal year as part of its aggressive product strategic plan to remain the leader.

"We had earlier announced that we would bring 15 models by 2020. We have done eight so far," Maruti Suzuki India Executive Director (marketing and sales) RS Kalsi told PTI.

As part of the plan, in the next fiscal year, the auto-maker will aim to launch four cars. The company, which launches two products every fiscal, is aiming to double it, signalling its reluctance to leave the saddle of the local motor industry.

While the company is keeping its plans under wraps, out of the four planned launches, two of them will be new models and other two will be new avatars. The new model strategy is not new. Previously, the company had revealed plans to launch 15 new cars, including facelifts in the years leading to 2020.

Maruti unveiled the new generation Swift hatchback at the Geneva Auto Show 2017 and the same is expected to make it to the Indian market by early 2018.

Maruti will also launch the facelifted avatar of its compact sedan, Swift Dzire, in India and rumours are doing the rounds that it will come before the new Swift. In the pipeline are the AMT (automated manual transmission) avatar and petrol model of its hot-selling model Vitara Brezza compact SUV.

The petrol-powered model and AMT are expected to join the compact SUV line-up by next year, while the facelifted avatar of S-Cross is also expected to join Maruti's line-up.

The S-Cross facelift, which was unveiled last year with re-styled front bumper and a larger radiator grille along with new projector headlamps, could also be among the models coming in this fiscal year.

Ciaz facelift is another model that is expected as early as by April 2017. Ciaz, when it takes the spanner works in 2017, will not only get visual modifications, but a change in its retail network. While the current Ciaz is sold through Maruti regular dealers, the Ciaz facelift is expected to join the Nexa line-up.