MARUTI LAUNCHES STINGRAY

Looking to beat the slowdown blues, country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) today launched a compact car Stingray, priced between Rs 4.1 lakh and Rs 4.67 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). With the Stingray, which will be more expensive than the existing WagonR by about Rs 20,000, MSI is hoping to attract young customers and make the most out of the upcoming festive season. With this, the company will have nine models in its compact car portfolio and the WagonR would continue to be in the market. Stingray, which is powered by a 998 cc petrol engine, is available in three variants and the company will also roll out a CNG model soon. The launch comes when the auto industry is gearing up to boost sales in the upcoming festive season.

"We are hoping sales will pick up in the festive season but we are not expecting very strong sales during the period considering the current macro-economic conditions. It won't be as euphoric as last year," MSI Chief Operating Officer (Marketing & Sales) Mayank Pareek said. Asked about the sales target for Stingray, he said the company hasn't set any numbers.
Pareek said with the difference between petrol and diesel fuels getting narrower, demand for petrol vehicles has been coming back in recent months. "The industry average is about 54:46 between diesel and petrol now. In two or three quarters we can expect it to be 50:50," he said, adding this trend held out hope for the petrol-driven small car segment, which was earlier battered. Pareek also said the rupee depreciation has put pressure on margins but ruled out passing the burden to customers, saying the market conditions did not warrant it.