Maruti Suzuki Adds Upscale Ciaz to India Lineup

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. is best-known in its home market for its low-cost small hatchbacks. But the company hopes to gain ground in India's premium sedan segment with the all-new Ciaz sedan.

The company says it has booked 10,000 orders for the 690,000-rupee ($11,300) Ciaz, including 6,000 for the diesel model. The company is targeting annual sales of 60,000-80,000 units.

The car will compete in the A3 small-car segment with such rivals as the Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Tata Zest and Volkswagen Vento.

The Ciaz will have 98% local content. Maruti Suzuki spent $100 million to develop the car, which was designed primarily for India and China. The model is expected to eventually be exported to other parts of Asia and Europe, Africa and Latin America.

Maruti Suzuki has tried to move upscale before. But it has had only moderate success with its SX4 sporty small sedan, discontinued Baleno sedan and the midsize Kizashi sedan now being phased out.