Maruti Suzuki is reportedly gearing up to launch its much anticipated Ciaz ahead of the festive season this year, claims a new report.
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, the replacement of the company's underperforming SX4 sedan has hit the web numerous times through spied images and reports. Now a latest report in Financial Express, citing its sources close to the development says that Maruti will launch the Ciaz in the domestic market by September this year. The report also states that the company has started the trial production of Ciaz at its Manesar facility.
The Ciaz, the new sedan offering of Maruti was first seen at the Delhi Auto Expo 2014 and is based on the Suzuki Authentics concept car, which was displayed at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show. The car will be pitted against Hyundai Verna, Honda City and Volkswagen Vento in the sub-continent and is expected to fall in the price brackets of 
7.2 lakh to 10.5 lakh.
Under the hood, Maruti's new C-segment offering, Ciaz is likely to pack the same 1.3 liter Multijet diesel or 1.4 liter K Series petrol engine of Ertiga and is expected to carry some of the features of both SX4 and Ertiga.
Ciaz is expected to come loaded with safety features like with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD). The car is also likely to accommodate premium features like 16-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry, push button start, puddle lamps and leather seats.
Earlier last week, the company had showcased the near production version of Ciaz at the Beijing Auto Show 2014. The mid-sized sedan concept dubbed Alivio measures 4545mm in length, 1475mm in height, 1730mm in width and has a wheelbase of 2650mm. Suzuki's Alivio sedan draws power from 1.6-litre DOHC 4-cylinder petrol engine and comes mated to six-speed automatic transmission.
With the launch of new sedan, Maruti hopes to cash in during this festive season. The auto industry in the country, which has been witnessing poor demand for the past few months is also getting ready to welcome the festive season in hopes of finding a change in the market condition.
(ED:AJ)
