Apart from the A-Star concept car,
Maruti Suzuki plans to launch another
small hatchback, the Suzuki Splash, at
the Auto Expo 2008. Suzuki Splash will
be positioned between Zen Estilo and
Swift and can be called the next
generation Wagon R. Splash is expected
to be priced around Rs 3.5 lakh, the
price of the Wagon R.
The Splash is a great looker - just
take a look at the photos of the
Splash on this page and you will know
what we mean!
A 1.2 litre petrol and 1.3 litre
diesel engine will power the Splash.
Like the A-Star concept, the Splash
will also be an A-segment car and will
be produced at Maruti’s Manesar plant.
Osamu Suzuki, Suzuki Motor chairman,
has said that the premium hatchback
Splash will be manufactured in India
and will be available in the Indian
market by mid-2008. Splash will be
launched in Europe and other overseas
markets in 2008.
The Suzuki Splash was first displayed
at the 2006 Paris motor show and then
at the Frankfurt Motor Show. In terms
of design, Splash is reminiscent of
the Swift and the SX4, which is not
surprising considering the styling
team for Splash was led by Akira Kamio
who was also a critical part of the
Swift styling team.
The Splash has been described by
Suzuki as a multiutility vehicle for
small families. The Suzuki Splash has
spacious interiors though the Indian
Splash will be functional to the point
of being bare with safety features
like seatbelt force limiters for the
front seat. The dashboard will be fuss
free in keeping with the Splash's
youthful, fresh look. The Splash also
has high seating positions and good
visibility.
The engineering shows a judicious use
of space. For example, the rear seats
of the Splash can be folded back to
make a flat load floor and a
compartment below for storage. Cute
and affordable, the Splash is very
likely to make a huge splash in the
Indian market.
The Splash is expected to make its
Indian debut at the Auto Expo, and
price and specs would be hopefully
revealed by then.
