Auto Expo 2018: Maruti Suzuki cars on display

2018 Auto Expo, India's largest motor show, is scheduled to be held from February 9-14, 2018 at the India Expo Mart in Greater Noidaa, Uttar Pradesh. Several auto brands will be participating while unveiling new models and launching some. The motor show is organised in collaboration with Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and accredited by OICA. Maruti Suzuki too is set to begin the year 2018 with a list of new cars. The very highly anticipated Swift, which has been unveiled in Japan already, is expected to be launched at the event. There is also going to be an all new small car with SUV like styling that will stand to rival Renault Kwid once launched in India. Read all about them here:

New Swift

Maruti Suzuki will soon launch the new Swift in India. Expected to launch in India by next year, the new Suzuki Swift is available in the Hybrid GS and Hybrid GL versions in Japan. For India, however, the Maruti Suzuki Swift would have a number of changes. Unlike the Suzuki Swift which is powered by a hybrid powertrain, the Indian model of the hatchback is expected to carry forward the existing 1.2-litre K-Series petrol and the 1.3-litre DDIS diesel engine options. The diesel unit should also come with Suzuki's mild-hybrid technology, SHVS.

There will be a number of changes on the inside, the most prominent being a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system which supports navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The Japanese model gets Mirrorlink as well which may also be carried forward in the Indian-spec model.

Other changes include a flat-bottom steering wheel, automatic climate control as well as a new layout of the dashboard. The exterior would have a similar front-end design when compared to the Dzire but the rear door handles have now been integrated into the C-pillars.

New small car to rival Renault Kwid

Maruti Suzuki and Renault are about to get into a head-on competition with the introduction of the new car. Maruti Suzuki which continues to be the market leader in the entry-level segment witnessed a serious drop in sales of the Alto post introduction of the Kwid.

Maruti Suzuki is has been working on an all-new hatchback to rival the Kwid, which is expected to arrive in showrooms sometime in 2018. The new car is likely to be an all-new model and not a replacement for the Alto.

There is not much information available, however, it could have a higher ground clearance and SUV styling. It may carry the usual Maruti Suzuki engines - the 800cc and 1.0-litre petrol. Maruti Suzuki is expected to unveil the new car at the Auto Expo 2018.

Ciaz facelift

The 2018 Ciaz will come with a host of updates such as LED headlamps with DRLs, chrome accents on fog lamps, reflectors, redesigned bumpers and sunroof on the higher variants. In addition, it could also get a larger MID screen and rain sensing wipers. Inside the cabin, the new Ciaz will get touch screen infotainment system with AppleCar Play and Android Auto.

Maruti Suzuki is also planning to give a new 1.5-litre engine to Ciaz. According to reports, the company has successfully tested the sedan with a 1.5-litre diesel engine and the unit has been developed in-house by Suzuki. It is expected that the manufacturer may introduce new 1.5-litre engine in both petrol and diesel forms and will launch the car sometime next year.

Maruti Suzuki retails the Ciaz from its Nexa dealerships and it is available in Sigma, Delta, Zeta, Alpha, and a new variant S (Sport).

New Wagon R

Maruti Suzuki is expected to launch the new Wagon R and Stingray in 2018, with some changes to the design and features. Maruti Suzuki launched the Wagon R in 1999 in India and since then the car has received the three upgrades in 2003, 2006 and 2010.

The new WagonR and Stingray will follow the same tall boy design as seen in the current version of the car but now feature sharper and quirkier design cues. On the exterior, both hatchbacks have received major changes and the WagonR gets split headlamps with a large air intake at the lower grille and a redesigned bumper.

The Japanese spec WagonR and Stingray are powered by a 660cc, 3-cylinder DOHC that produces 51hp of power and 61Nm of torque with the mild hybrid system. For the India, the company will bring the new WagonR and Stingray with the existing engine, a 1.0-litre K10 engine. It is expected that the company might bring the hatchback with mild hybrid technology as it plans to expand the scope of SHVS technology across more models.