Maruti Suzuki working on i20 rivalling premium hatchback

Maruti Suzuki is believed to be working on a premium hatchback (codenamed YRA) rivalling the Hyundai i20 and is expected to launch the vehicle sometime in 2015. A report from Financial Express suggests that the hatchback will be sold under a completely different brand and is likely to be positioned above the Ritz and Swift.

The company is on a spree to upgrade its line-up and in this regard we have already seen a facelifted Swift, a new sedan (codenamed YL1) that is expected to replace the SX4. There is also the all new Alto/ A-Star that had been spotted testing in Europe and last month near the Indo-Japanese automaker’s plant in Gurgaon.

Gone are the days of the spartan but highly successful M800 and the Zen as cars like the Hyundai Grand i10, Polo GT and the Tata Indica Vista D90 have all changed the perception what one can expect in a premium hatchback.  

The report says that MSIL while currently being far ahead of its rivals thanks to its 48 per cent market share in the small car segment has to up its game as its rivals are slowly gaining markets. The new sets of vehicles are all expected to be its arsenal in its quest to retain its massive market share. However, the biggest rival, the i20, will be available in a whole new avatar next year and it will be interesting to see what Suzuki will respond with.