Maruti Suzuki stretched the Swift hatch to create Ertiga, and its job well done as the LUV stretched 10,000 bookings in merely 5 days from its launch. It seems the Life Utility Vehicle just fits the bill for almost everybody, from youngsters to families.
Maruti had painted the town red, posted several pages of ads in newspapers and highlighted digital advertising across the web for promoting its new ute-vehicle. The marketing strategy paid off with customers crowding outside dealerships to grab their booking on the new MPV. Though the Ertiga is a fresh model, the immense response showcases the trust Indian customers have in the Maruti brand. Moreover, the Eritga carves a way into an entirely new segment in market, which makes it more difficult to market the product.
Sitting in at just 4.26 meters, the Ertiga opens an entirely new segment in the market for compact MPVs. Battling against Toyota Innova and Mahindra Xylo, the Ertiga comes out as a potentially better vehicle, in terms of size and pricing. Maruti built the Eritga with a theme of togetherness, and this means the Ertiga has to offer comfort and adaptability on city road and highways.
Speaking of which, the Ertiga offers 5 or 7 seating capacity, depending on the variant you select. Moreover, the MPV offers tremendous room for luggage, besides the folding seats that accommodate access baggage. Maruti has unarguably built a vehicle, keeping the Indian customer in mind.
Maruti offers petrol and diesel trims for the Ertiga with a vast price difference. The price variation between base and mid level variants of Diesel and Petrol Ertiga is because, ABS is offered as standard on the LDI and VDI, while it comes as an option on the VXI. The LXI model does not offer ABS package, making it the cheapest runner of all. This strategy is adopted to maintain balance between petrol and diesel cars, as the diesel cars fetch lesser duty now.
Mahindra will roll out the Mini Xylo in Dusshera-Diwali under the compact MPV segment. It is expected to sit under 4 meters length and yet have room for 5-7 passengers. Moreover, the Mini Xylo is expected to be prized with B+ segment hatches, making it the cheapest MPV in India.
Prices as per ex-showroom:
- Ertiga Lxi Petrol: Rs 5.89 lacs
- Ertiga Ldi Diesel:Rs 7.30 lacs
- Ertiga Vxi Petrol: Rs 6.60 lacs
- Ertiga Vdi Diesel:Rs 7.90 lacs
- Ertiga Zxi Petrol: Rs 7.30 lacs
- Ertiga Zdi Diesel: Rs 8.45 lacs