In an interesting move, Maruti Udyog Ltd (MUL) is now pushing the Maruti 1000 to take on competition from the small cars.
MUL has now kicked off a new campaign positioning the model as a `smart choice'. The 1000 was pushed to the back seat after the launch of the Esteem range.
"The Maruti 1000 has been ignored for quite some time now," an MUL official admitted. "But we have now decided to aggressively position the model as a value-for-money product," he added.
MUL seems to have had the 1000cc Hyundai Santro in mind, when it decided to bring the Maruti 1000 back into focus.
The standard version of the Maruti 1000 is priced at Rs 3.77 lakh (ex-showroom, Chennai), while the AC version carries a tag of Rs 4.35 lakh (ex-showroom, Che-nnai.) The cheapest version of the Esteem is priced at Rs 5.08 lakh.
At the current prices, the standard version of the Maruti 1000 is almost on par with the top-end variant of the Hyundai Santro.
"The Maruti 1000 is priced uncomfortably close to our Santro," a Hyundai official conceded, when contacted by Business Standard.
Interestingly, MUL is also offering attractive cash discounts on the Maruti 1000. Three Maruti dealers in Chennai offered cash discounts ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 on the Maruti 1000 in response to telephonic enquiries regarding the price. The model is also available almost off the shelf with a waiting period of only about 10 days. The Maruti 1000 was playing second-fiddle to the Esteem and most dealers were selling very few cars. MUL officials are now hoping to double the sales of the model.
The prices of most mid-sized cars were hiked soon after the latest budget. But the Maruti 1000 tag was not increased.
Local dealers reported good enquiries for the model since the new `smart choice' campaign was kicked off.
MUL seems to be using the spacious interiors of its 1000cc model to take on the Hyundai Santro. While the Santro is a hatchback, the Maruti 1000 is a three-box, d expensive. But no car gives this kind of size and comfort at this price," the new Maruti 1000 campaign reads.
On the flip side, the second-hand prices of the Maruti 1000, quoting below Rs 2 lakh in Chennai, may make prospective customers think twice before going in for a new one.
