Maruti Suzuki's all new sedan codenamed YL1 is likely to be called Ciaz in India.
The YL1 sedan which has been spied testing in the country for quite some time now is expected to make its debut in the sub-continent at the upcoming Auto Expo 2014. Maruti, the frontrunner in the small car segment seems to be working hard to capture the big car segment in the country in coming years.
Maruti is likely to replace its underperforming SX4 sedan in the country with the upcoming Ciaz aka YL1 sedan, reported the financial Times. The Ciaz is likely to take on Verna Fluidic and Vento in the country and is believed to fall in the sub ₹10 lakh price bracket.
"The Ciaz is expected to be launched around the festive season this year. The company is targeting initial volumes of about 50,000 a year with exports," FE quoted an industry source.
Earlier reports had suggested that YL1 sedan would be based on a new platform and the design of the car would resemble Suzuki Authentics concept car, which was shown at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show.
The Ciaz is likely to pack the same 1.3 liter Multijet diesel or 1.4 liter K Series petrol engine of Ertiga. Under the hood, it is expected to carry over some of the features of SX4 and Ertiga. Other stipulated features of the car include, 16-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry, push button start, puddle lamps and leather seats. The YL1 is also expected to host a number of safety features, like Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD).
Apart from YL1 sedan, Maruti's long speculated Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) XA Alpha is also expected to join the arena of 2014 Auto Expo. The vehicle which first made its appearance at Auto Expo 2012 as a concept model, is expected to make its debut at the same show this year. Other attractions of the company will include Maruti Celerio, India's first car with Automated Manual Transmission (AMT).
