Last month, news about Maruti Suzuki planning to launch the sedan version of the A-Star surfaced. While this news looked hard to believe at first, it is most likely true. We say that because when Maruti Suzuki can add a boot the Swift, they definitely can do the same to the A-Star. The A-Star has not sold well in the Indian market, which gives Maruti Suzuki all the more reason to develop new products on the A-Star platform. The company has reiterated the fact that it wants to create new categories within segments to boost market share to 50%.
Now an A-Star sedan might look terrible but if Maruti Suzuki carries out the design thoughtfully, it would atleast look half decent. Our rendering specialist has rendered the A-Star sedan, by giving it an overall profile similar to the Tata Indigo CS. The sub 4-meter sedan could give a boot space of just under 300-liters and be priced below the Swift DZire. Engine output would come in from the 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder, KB-Series engine which produces 67 BHP of power at 6200 RPM and 90 Nm of torque at 3500 RPM. A 3-cylinder version of the 1.3-litre Multijet can be offered as well.
The A-Star hatchback measures just 3500mm in length, giving Maruti Suzuki engineers a good 500mm of length to add a boot. The wheelbase can be extended to increase the rear legroom of the car, something which the hatchback lacks in. A 5-speed manual gearbox will be offered with a 4-speed automatic most likely to make way soon after launch. With Indians aspiring to buy sedans, an A-Star sedan might just do the trick for Maruti Suzuki. Furthermore, Maruti Suzuki could export the A-Star sedan to European markets, thereby challenging for the cheapest sedan position.
karan May 4, 2012 at 8:19 am
that’s just a bump on the tail light
Swift May 4, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Yuck!!! But Maruti has the guts to release such a design and that too will have a six months waiting time.
karikor May 4, 2012 at 12:27 pm
The A-Star is a very frugal car and has a very zippy drive. The 1.0 liter KB engine producing 67bhp does really well for the car. However the big let down for the A-Star has always been the lack of leg room at the back and the sorry looking boot space. However if the wheelbase is extended by another few cms, it would change the entire interior space of the car. Plus the boot for the A-Star sedan would mean that your extra 30-50000 bucks (assuming) from the hatchback A-star, for the sedan version will be truely worth it.
Ninu May 4, 2012 at 1:25 pm
going by the previous records of Maruti i highly suspect that they will increase the wheelbase as to save the cost & time in R&D, it is going to be a cut & paste job like swift dzire… :)
Faisal May 5, 2012 at 6:59 pm
Ninu, if they save costs and pass it to the buyer than who minds it.
Aditya May 4, 2012 at 2:48 pm
The back looks really puny, Indigo CS, yeah that’s exactly what it is!
karikor May 5, 2012 at 8:38 pm
I totally agree with Faisal…And i’m sure millions of Indians live by this.
The ex-showroom prices of the base variants; overall lenght, wheelbase and boot space of the A-Star, new Swift and new Swift Dzire in New Delhi are:
1. A-Star Lxi – 3.58 lakh; 3.50m, 2.36m, boot space to little to even be mentioned
2. Swift Lxi – 4.22 lakh, 3.85m, 2.43m, 204 liters
3. Swift Dzire Lxi – 4.79 lakh, 3.995m, 2.43m, 316 liters
So I’m pretty sure not many out there would not mind a A-Star sedan , a foot or more longer than the current hatchback version but definitely under the 4.00 meter mark with more spacious interiors to stretch those legs and also more space for luggage at the back, for say 30-40000 more than the hatchback version; but then it shud definitely be atleast 15-20000 lesser than the corresponding Swift variant. So an A-Star sedan with a base variant priced at close to 4.00 lakhs does sound very tempting atleast to someone like me.
Faisal May 8, 2012 at 5:52 pm
Karikor, I am sure Maruti Suzuki will launch this and it will have huge waiting period. Because the average hatchbacks in that range don’t have that much space.
Alan May 6, 2012 at 6:41 pm
Ugly n pagli.
ROHAN BHAKT May 9, 2012 at 7:42 pm
AHHHHH……THE UGLY GETS UGLIER………..