Unconfirmed News: Maruti Names RIII As Ertiga

Published: Saturday, September 3, 2011, 15:56 [IST]

Maruti Suzuki has reportedly decided to name its RIII Concept as the Ertiga according to Auto car India editor Hormazd Sorabjee. The senior Auto journalist has revealed this information on micro-blogging site Twitter. Mr Sorabjee has tweeted: "A day for names; XUV500 a well kept secret by M&M) but leaks in Maruti. RIII MPV to be called ERTIGA! Not sure what it means." The new MPV that was unveiled at the previous Delhi Auto Expo has been touted to be the competitor of the Toyota Innova.

Maruti Suzuki has not confirmed the name of the RIII MPV. The Ertiga name does not sound great and we truly hope it is not the name of the beautiful RIII. The RIII MPV which has been built on the Ritz platform is a seven seater concept MPV which impressed us all with its stylish looks and futuristic interiors when it was unveiled at the recent Delhi Auto Expo..

We expect to see the production version in the forthcoming auto show in January 2012. Maruti Suzuki is keen to enter the highly lucrative MPV segment which is currently dominated by the Toyota Innova. Other competitors in this segment are the Mahindra Xylo and Tata Sumo Grande.

Maruti Suzuki had said the RIII (Ertiga) will get both petrol and diesel engines. We expect the petrol engine to be a 1.4-litre K-Series engine capable of generating 87bhp. The diesel engine is most likely a 1.3-litre multi-jet engine sourced from Fiat.

We expect the Maruti Ertiga to be priced between Rs.7 lakhs and Rs.9 lakhs making it one of the cheapest MPVs in the Indian market. Coupled with Maruti Suzuki's image of cheap running and maintenance costs, the Maruti Ertiga could soon top the Indian MPV segment.

Article Published On: Friday, September 2, 2011, 18:24 [IST]

Read more on: #maruti suzuki #mpv #innova #concept #auto show

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