NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 23: Maruti Udyog's new small car Wagon-R, scheduled for launch on Saturday, is likely to be available in three versions with price tags between Rs 3.60 lakhs to Rs 4.10 lakhs, top company officials said here today.The 1100 CC `tall body' car would have four cylinders and 16 valves to generate a power of 62 brake horse power (BHP) and a torque of 82 kg/new ton metre at a speed of 3,500 revolutions per minute (RPM).Wagon-R would be the most powerful and with the maximum number of valves in the small car segment, officials claimed, adding that it would be technologically more advanced than other small cars.Maruti chief general manager Rohtash Mal said, "Wagon-R is a superior product offering in terms of concept, technology, innovativeness and features. It's market positioning will certainly reflect this."Maruti's strategy is to pose Wagon-R's tall body concept as the `original' one against other small car models. Maruti claims that the design was first introduced by Suzuki in Japan. Wagon-R would be fitted with multi-point-fuel-injection (MPFI) system for meeting Euro-II emission norms, officials said.Meanwhile, the company recorded a 24 per cent growth in sales by selling 252,498 cars in April-October of the current fiscal against 204,147 units sold in the same period last year. Maruti had sold 28,059 units in October 1999.The company which has a market share of about 66 per cent in the passenger car market, sold 32,115 units during the period compared to 18,241 cars during the same period of the previous fiscal registering an impressive growth of 76 per cent.Maruti is also planning to increase prices of its other car models in the range between Rs 18,000-25,000 from January 3, as manufacturing costs have gone up due to compliance with emission norms and increased input costs, officials said.
