MUL launches Versa

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, OCT 24. Maruti Udyog Ltd. (MUL), the country's leading car manufacturer, today launched the Versa, the company's first luxury multipurpose vehicle (MPV). MPVs are a dominant category in the developed markets providing space and luxury in the same vehicle.

``This is a winning combination. Versa offers that combination. We chose it so that we could bring to India a category that is popular internationally,'' explained the MUL Managing Director, Mr. Jagdish Khattar.

The company hopes to sell about 1,000 vehicles per month.

The three variants have been priced between Rs. 5.15 lakhs and Rs. 5.80 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi) but added accompaniments such as a power-window barrier between the driver and passengers, fitments for laptop and CD players and airline-type seats will cost between Rs. 70,000 and o Rs. 1.50 lakhs.

The Versa basically targets three broad categories. It will seek to lure existing multi-utility owners, upgraders from premium small cars such as the Zen and Wagon-R and also provide an alternative option for customers who want to buy mid-size cars. Versa has the Esteem engine and apart from the customary `traffic stoppers' such as body graphics and alloy wheels, it has a twin AC system to provide overhead cooling as well.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Business
Previous : ICICI, ICICI Bank merger decision today
Next     : Satyam Computer to buy Sify's software business