NEW DELHI: It was in April 2012 that Maruti Suzuki first brought out an MPV into the Indian market – the Ertiga and since then the car has seen a whole bunch of competition pouring into the segment starting with the Honda Mobilio and the Renault Lodgy. The facelift of the car has been on the cards for some time and we will get to see a glimpse of it at the upcoming Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show.
The Suzuki Ertiga will be revealed on August 20 at the Auto Show and will come with a host of changes. The front grille for starters will be all-new and there will be some additions of chrome to make it look more premium.
There may be a host of changes made to the interiors of the car and we’ll get to see some additional features in the MPV. Features like an engine Start/Stop button to phone controls on the steering wheels could make their way into the car.
However, the biggest change that we expect in the Ertiga facelift is the addition of the Auto Gear Shift. The company has said it a number of times that they would want to have a variant with the AGS in every segment and the Ertiga facelift would also benefit from this.
Currently, it is the Alto K10 and the Celerio that Maruti Suzuki has equipped with the Auto Gear Shift but the waiting period for both the cars runs into 3-4 months, which is quite a lot and if the Ertiga too comes with this transmission, it will be interesting to see how Maruti Suzuki copes with the demand.
When it comes to engines, we do not expect any changes, however, trust Maruti Suzuki to make some minor tweaks to improve fuel efficiency as it will give them an edge against the current fuel efficiency leader, the Honda Mobilio.
Maruti Suzuki will bring the car to India later this year and we expect the car to go on sale during the festive season.
