 "Maruti Suzuki XL6. Photo: Kartik Sadekar")
The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India on Thursday launched a new version of its multi-purpose vehicle XL6 as it gears up to bring a slew of new products this fiscal and take the challenges of prevailing uncertainties head-on.
The new XL6 is powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine with a peak power of 75.8 kW. It is available in manual and automatic transmission options, priced between Rs 11.29 lakh and Rs 14.55 lakh (ex-showroom).
Speaking at the launch, newly appointed Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said, "With the uncertainties prevailing today, the business realities are continuously evolving. One cannot precisely determine what challenges will emerge next and what impact will they have on our operations".
He further said, "I am excited to be in the driving seat to steer the company at such a time. Challenges test the grit and determination of leaders. My team and I will be taking these challenges, head-on. Among all the uncertainties, let me assure you, on the products front, Maruti Suzuki will make financial year 22-23 an exciting year".
At present the auto industry is reeling under the semiconductor shortage, rising commodity prices and the impact of the war in Ukraine on the supply chain.
Stating that the company aims "to offer the joy of mobility to customers", Takeuchi said, "We will keep bringing new models and upgrades across different segments".
Importantly, he said, "The launches and upgrades will reflect the aspirations of young and dynamic India that craves indulgence, comfort, and convenience. Responding to this latent need of new India, I assure you, our offerings will be a notch higher in terms of design, technology and features".
Pointing out that so far the car penetration in India is quite low as compared to some of the developed markets around the world, Takeuchi said, "Most of the people still do not have access to personal mobility. I would like to give this 'joy of mobility to as many people as possible...and bring happiness to their lives. I think that as India's leading car manufacturer, it is our responsibility to fulfil the stated and unstated aspirations of millions".
He said Maruti Suzuki has "sailed through some good times as well as some challenging situations" and over the years, it has maintained leadership in the domestic market.
"We have also gradually strengthened our exports and are taking them to new heights. All this has been possible due to our continuous focus on customers and their aspirations," Takeuchi added.
On the new XL6, he said it comes with a next-generation powertrain and an all-new 6-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, besides a host of new features like ventilated front seats, in-built Suzuki-Connect with over 40 features with remote operations, a smartwatch and voice-enabled operations.
"The XL6 has been a very successful model for us at NEXA (retail chain). It has managed to carve a space for itself as the premium MPV in a short period," Takeuchi said.
The new XL6 features captain seats in the second row and the reclining 3rd-row seats. It is equipped with safety features such as four airbags (driver, co-driver and front-seat side) as standard across all variants, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), an electronic stability programme (ESP) with hill hold assist (HHA) as standard across variants, the company said.
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