- Available with both MT and AT options
- CNG constitutes 40 per cent of fleet market sales
25 years, 32 lakh units
Maruti’s tallboy, the Wagon R, has hit the silver jubilee mark. Launched in late 1999, it was a revolution in terms of body style and it took a while for buyers to latch on. However, once successful, it took off and it has been 25 years for the Wagon R across multiple generations, Maruti has been able to move 32 lakh units of the car so far. The Wagon R contributes 10 per cent to Maruti’s overall volumes and despite a slowdown in small car sales, it sold 2.12 lakh units in FY 22-23, 2.0 lakh units in FY 23-24, and looks set to achieve the same target for this FY.
1.0-litre is king
When it launched the current-generation car, in 2019, it was the first time that Maruti offered two engine options. In addition to the 1.0, Maruti also launched it with the 1.2-litre petrol engine, at that time a staple of Maruti’s ‘larger’ small cars. While it has not been officially revealed, one of the major catalysts for the growth of the Wagon R, especially in the 1.0-litre guise, is its popularity with the cab aggregator business (Ola, Uber). In the current generation of vehicles, it launched the Wagon R for the fleet market and called it the Tour H3. This is only available with the 1.0-litre engine thus making up a significant chunk of the car’s sales. Of this Maruti has said that CNG makes up between 35 to 40 per cent of the 1.0-litre engine version’s sales hinting at the kind of penetration Maruti has made into this part of the market. There is also the fact that the Wagon R is one of the largest cars in its class and unlike some of its rivals has managed to become a successful 'large car' for smaller car money.
Engine specifications
The 1.0-litre unit in question produces 65bhp/89Nm in petrol guise and 55bhp/82Nm in CNG. A five-speed MT is standard, while the petrol version also gets a five-speed AMT. The more powerful 1.2-litre engine produces 88bhp/113Nm and can be had with either a five-speed MT or a five-speed AMT. This is the older K-series engine and we expect the Wagon R to move the Z12E 1.2 mill at some point in the future.
