Maruti Suzuki is one of the biggest manufacturers in the Indian automobile industry, and they enjoy a good market share of 42%. They have almost nailed it with every product they launched in the market. Irrespective of how good or average the product is, they have managed to sell in decent quantities to at least break even. But outliers are always there in the real world. One of them is the Maruti Suzuki Kizashi, one of those Maruti products that never made it even to the break-even point. You may find a good amount of articles talking about the car and how good or bad it is, but none of them will tell you why this luxury offering by the Indian manufacturer never gave them good business. And I am here to tell you why it didn’t, but even I have to follow the protocol, so I can’t directly jump into the crux. So first, I will brief you about the product, and then we will move on to the core reason.
The Kizashi is quite an impressive-looking car which looks well-proportioned like those 17-inch wheels add a lot of character to the saloon. The front has a very muscular look with a large honeycomb grille and sharp bonnet crease flowing in a singular line, it has a sporty stance from the side profile and a muscular front end, and the rear end is nice and sleek with the C pillar flowing down to the smart tail lamps. What’s also impressive is the smartly styled double exhaust pipes with chrome surrounds. Under the hood lies a 2393cc VVT motor that churns out 176bhp while developing 229 NM of max torque mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-step CVT gearbox.
The Kizashi was one of the most important cars for the Indian manufacturer, as it was a big step up from the mass market to the luxury domain. The product had everything to offer under the name of a luxury sedan, from a bigger engine to a plethora of legroom. It was a proper saloon from every angle, and even though it offered so much, why didn’t it sell? Here’s why:
- No one saw this car as a premium product. The luxury car buyer saw the Kizashi as any other Maruti car. Irrespective of the car’s premium features, it all came down to the brand’s image of being the brand for the masses.
- Secondly, irrespective of the Kizashi being a luxury sedan, the quality of the cabin never felt like one. The hard plastic bits on the inside and poor exterior panels never made it up to the luxury levels.
- Timing is a bitch, and to Maruti, it was. The Kizashi was launched in an era when the manufacturer was updating its portfolio with a new design language. And irrespective of this being a new product, it had a resemblance to the previous design language.
- The price was way more expensive than it should have been, which was one major issue because the Kizashi was a CBU (Completely Built Unit) product, and the fiscal policy in India has a different tax implication on CBU products. And no one wanted to spend so much for a Maruti.
- The rivals were better. Kizashi rivalled Laura, Civic, Cruze, and Altis. These products were better in comparison to the Japanese offering.
I like to conclude by saying that irrespective of the above-mentioned points, Kizashi is one of the most luxurious Maruti you will ever be in. Maybe it was not worth it back then, but today in the used car market, it is a decent buy and TDH classifieds can help you find one of these rare luxury Maruti.
