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The Maruti Suzuki ‘Swift DZire’ (file photo).

Priyanka Vyas

New Delhi, April 23 Customers willing to buy Maruti’s latest entry-level sedan Dzire may have to wait as long as three to four months before they get one. In less than a month’s time since the company launched its latest model, dealers say it has met with an overwhelming response.

Though Maruti officials remained tight-lipped about the waiting period, they said:

“Our production has been at a full capacity. So there is no capacity constraints but may be unanticipated response is the reason.”

Dealers in New Delhi say the long duration before which customers can get possession of the car was turning out to be a major disappointment.

“Whenever a new car is launched, there is more excitement in the market to buy it. But in case of Dzire, the time duration by when the customers can buy is much more than what is was for SX4,” said a Maruti dealer here. He said that for Maruti’s premium sedan SX4, the duration was around 1-2 months.

A dealer at another showroom said, “Unlike other cars which are new, Dzire being manufactured on the Swift platform is arousing more confidence among the customers because the car has already been tested on Indian roads. Hence they don’t have to wait for the market response before taking a decision.”

The Dzire, offered at a price of Rs 4.51 lakh for the base model and going up to Rs 6.72 lakhs (ex showroom Delhi), competes with Tata Motors Indigo CS, which was recently launched at Rs 3.66 lakh up to Rs 4.34 lakh, and the Mahindra-Renault Logan, which is offered at Rs 4.41 lakh to Rs 5.36 lakh. Logan sells about 3,000 units a month.

While the growth in the premium cars in the segment is estimated to be at a pace of 14-15 per cent, Maruti is seeking to fill in the gap in the entry level sedan category, where it reckons the growth has been stagnant.

More Stories on : Performance | Cars | Maruti Udyog Ltd

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