The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki has launched the second generation of their people carrier the Ertiga. The new Ertiga is based on Suzuki’s new ‘Heartec’ platform that also underpins the Baleno and new Swift and according to company officials meet all safety and regulatory norms in India. The Ertiga also features the new K15 petrol engine that was introduced alongside the new Ciaz a few months ago. The people carrier segment has seen a lot of activity with the new Mahindra Marazzo also recently being launched. The new Ertiga is larger in all respects to the outgoing model and like the Ciaz features Suzuki’s new ‘Smart Hybrid’s system with a new battery pack that gives the vehicle a better economy. Prices range from Rs 7.44 lakh to Rs 9.5 lakhs for the petrol manual. The Diesel version that features the tried and tested DDiS engine ranges from Rs 8.84 to Rs 10.9 lakh with the petrol automatic that has a four-speed torque converter transmission costs between Rs 9.18 to Rs 9.95 lakh. Kenichi Ayukawa, Maruti-Suzuki India Limited Managing Director told The Pioneer at the sidelines of the launch that news that the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) was exploring the possibility of banning diesel vehicles from operating on severe pollution days needed more thought. “ The automotive industry is not running away from the problem but the fact is that people need to travel, they need transport”, he said and added that he hoped the authorities realized the benefits of hybrid vehicles in the short-term and promoted their use. “ We are also committed to electrification with battery-electric vehicles and have begun full tests of such vehicles but everyone needs to understand that building the infrastructure will take time and hybrids have many benefits that can realized immediately.” read more posts… Thursday, 22 November 2018 | PNS | New Delhi—
