Roll over Esteem, the Swift Sedan is
on its way. Maruti Suzuki has
apparently decided to bring the
curtains down on its hugely successful
model Esteem.
Picture courtesy
team-bhp
Taking its place would be the new
Sedan version of its even more
successful Swift. According to a
report, this would mean that one of
Maruti Suzuki’s most successful models
is on its way to be phased out. In
fact it is already being said that the
company has halted production of the
car.
The Esteem was unveiled during the
1990s as a spruced-up version of the
Maruti 1000. It had then competed for
market share with Hindustan Motor's
Contessa Classic. The decision to stop
its production comes after almost 14
years, though it had been a sought
after car in the country. It may be
noted that the car had sold 1000 units
in November 2007. The report added
that the car was actually called the
Swift in some of its foreign markets.
This includes the US too, it added.
As Maruti Suzuki gets set to roll out
the new Swift sedan most probably by
March 2008, the report added that the
car would be powered by a 1.3 litre
petrol engine akin to what the Esteem
had. The auto maker also plans to roll
out a diesel version by the end of
2008.
Meanwhile, the company is sad to be
investing more money into its Manesar
assembly line in a bid to bridge the
demand supply gap of diesel cars. The
auto maker is already witnessing huge
demand for its Swift diesel vehicle,
and has realized that the demand is
more that what it can currently
supply. The production capacity would
go up to around three lakh engines per
annum, compared with the current one
lakh engines per annum.
