Auto Expo 2014 Maruti lineup: Celerio and iV4
Maruti Suzuki have always taken the Auto Expo seriously, last time the company launched the Ertiga MPV and even displayed the XA Alpha concept SUV. For 2014, India's largest carmaker will launch yet another hatchback, the Celerio. It is the successor to the Alto worldwide and will replace the A-Star and Estilo in India. It is more contemporarily styled and is expected to be roomier than the cars it's replacing. The Celerio features the same K-Series petrol motor seen in the Alto K10 and the A-Star. The petrol variant will be available in two transmission-options, a 5-speed manual and an automated manual, the latter uses a manual transmission but the shifts are done automatically and if needed one can manually shift. The system is a cheaper alternative to a conventional automatic transmission so expect this variant to not cost much more than the MT model.
Also, for the first time, a compact hatchback from Maruti Suzuki will feature a diesel engine. An in-house developed, 2-cylinder common-rail diesel will debut in the Celerio and will be launched later this year.
Maruti has been missing from the compact SUV space and will launch a new sub-4 metre SUV very soon, the XA Alpha concept based production vehicle isn't ready yet and won't be unveiled till end of this year. However, a larger SUV concept, the iV-4 (which was recently shown in the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show) will be on display. This concept will form the basis for another SUV planned for launch by 2015.