By: HT Auto Desk , updated on: August 23, 2024, 21:01 pm
Maruti Suzuki says that 30 per cent of its total sales come from the Nexa channel and this is reason enough to take Nexa to customers in smaller towns.
,
Maruti Suzuki says that 30 per cent of its total sales come from the Nexa channel and this is reason enough to take Nexa to customers in smaller cities and towns in the country.
Some of the more premium or exclusive models like the Jimny are offered by Maruti Suzuki under its Nexa retail channel.
Maruti Suzuki on Friday announced that it will open a network of Nexa Studio outlets in smaller Indian cities and towns that did not have Nexa retail outlets till now. While there are 500 Nexa retail outlets across the country since the first one was set up in 2015, Maruti Suzuki says the Nexa Studios will be smaller versions of these retail outlets that will still offer the same premium sales and service benefits to customers in tier II and III cities and towns.
Maruti Suzuki Nexa was set up in 2015 as an alternative retail outlet and currently co-exists with the Maruti Suzuki Arena sales channels. Slightly more premium or even niche vehicle offerings from the Maruti Suzuki camp – such as the Jimny, Grand Vitara, Invicto and even cars like the Frontex, Baleno, Ciaz and XL6 are offered under the Nexa umbrella, while models like the Vigor, Swift, Ertiga and Brezza are sold under the Arena brand.
Also read: Maruti Suzuki's Nexa sold more than 27 lakh cars in 9 years, Baleno is the best selling car
But while Arena outlets are widely spread, Maruti Suzuki says Nexa will now be closer to more potential customers and this is the driving factor behind setting up Nexa Studio.
What is Maruti Suzuki Nexa Studio and how is it different from Nexa?
The Nexa Studio outlets will essentially be two-car-display-showrooms, but will still offer the entire product portfolio that exists under the Nexa umbrella. Maruti Suzuki officials say that the vehicle buying experience at the Nexa Studio will be exactly the same as at a Nexa outlet. Moreover, just like a Nexa service centre, the Nexa Studio will also offer after-sales support and service assistance.
So, while Nexa outlets are so far located in the big cities of the country, Nexa Studios will be set up in smaller cities and towns to bring the Maruti Suzuki brand closer to customers. “As we reach closer to customers, their trust in us increases. So our aim is to provide a better Nexa experience to customers in smaller towns. Each Nexa Studio has the potential to sell 20 to 25 cars every month,” said Partho Banerjee, senior executive officer, marketing and sales, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL), during an interaction with members of the press.
Why is Nexa Studio important for Maruti Suzuki?
Banerjee highlights that about 30 per cent of Maruti Suzuki's sales in the country come from Nexa channels. And within the Nexa channel, about 37 per cent of sales come from tier II and III cities. “If we want these customers to visit our Nexa outlet, sometimes they have to travel 100 km. Now we will take Nexa closer to them. Our focus is on expanding our presence here (tier II and III cities and towns),” he said.
Maruti Suzuki has a wide presence across the Indian landscape and has the largest sales and after-sales network for any car manufacturer in the country.
First Publication Date: 23 August 2024, 16:48 PM IST
In this edition of Un-Popular Weekend Destinations (from Delhi), I got stuck in dunes near Jaipur and traversed some narrow streets of Mandawa in the Jimny.
A Solitary Escape In The Timeless Sands
With the Good Friday long weekend approaching, I had my eyes set on exploring some dunes and sandy trails of Rajasthan. A quick search for dunes led me to finalising Kalpana Nagar dunes as my destination for this adventure. It’s one thing to drive through sand pits deep enough to get even a burly SUV stuck at an off-road track. It’s another to drive through endless sands where you could not only get stuck, but also get lost.
But, I wanted some privacy. Privacy to explore my limits. Privacy to get stuck and not have someone remind me that I’m a newbie. After all, I was looking for places to get stuck. Because how you get out of it is what matters. That’s how you gain experience.
I spent a few hours there playing around with the various combinations of 2H, 4H, 4L and electronic off-road settings. I wanted to learn how to get rolling when I dug my wheels in too deep. After playing around with the Jimny, it was time to head back home. Time well spent!
Change Of Plans
When I was done, I noticed that I had several missed calls from Piyush, who was in Mandawa at that time and I called him back to apologise. But I had a damn good excuse!
He insisted I visit him, and knowing that I had a 4X4, recommended I take a detour wherever possible to absorb more of the local vibe. I think he just wanted me to get lost in the vast desert or get stuck in some narrow passages with a dead end and no way to reverse out of.
Along the highways, and via Sikar, the drive to Mandawa from the other side of Jaipur is almost 200km and about 180km from my hotel in Jaipur. “Do hell with it. Let’s see what the Jimny can do.” — I thought to myself and promised to meet Piyush the next day.
To make sure I don’t turn my back on him, through his connections, he allowed me access to a privately-owned forest reserve near Jaipur. Before wrapping up my day, I spent a few hours in the reserve where I saw deers and nilgai. When I had dunes on my mind, forests were nowhere near my plans. Yet, I ended up playing in the sands and meditating in a mini forest, all in a matter of a few hours.
Tales Of Trails
The next morning, I started my drive from Jaipur to Mandawa a little early. I took a few detours and picked lines that look like they’re barely a pixel wide on Google Maps. Till dusk, I held my horses and decided that I shouldn’t stray too far from the wider roads. I didn’t want to disturb the locals with bright lights and leave them covered in dust. But once it got sunny, I had greater visibility and I could better evaluate the risks when going off the road.
I engaged in enough trail hunting to lose my way. In the desolated regions of Rajasthan, not only did I lose the data and cellular connection, even the GPS started acting up. With intermittent GPS disconnections and poor accuracy, if I wanted to reach Mandawa the same day, I had to do some old school navigation. For the Gen Z, that means performing the tough task of getting out of the vehicle and asking people for directions. In person, no less.
Via Kamalsar, I finally reached Mandawa. I should have been drained by this time but the caffeine flowing through my system kept me energised and awake at the wheel.
Now that I have had time to think it over, I guess it was probably the itch to gradually keep moving towards the Jimny’s limits and keep pushing my own in the process that kept me going. I think it was adrenaline, but I’ll let caffeine take the credit for this one.
A Needle Does What A Hammer Can’t
Driving through Mandawa, once again, had me thanking my stars that I had the Jimny. Its narrow body granted me the freedom to drive through the open air art gallery. As fun as it would have been to walk through it all, after so much driving in the last 2 days and a lot of physical and mental exertion, having the option of bringing the car with me felt like a blessing.
We met at the Mandawa Castle, which, back in the day, used to be the accommodation for the royals. Now, a good part of it is turned into a hotel. So, it’s a nice way to experience the royal life and get a feel for travelling back in time – some 250 years or so.
Loyalty Amidst Royalty
After a lavish lunch, Piyush took the keys and we started moving again. He said something about experiencing ‘horsepower’. “Petrol engines are known for horsepower and I have been experiencing horsepower for the better part of the past day and a half. How else might I experience horsepower?”, I thought to myself. Through some trails, we arrived at the Mandawa Safaris stud farm, which is owned by one of his acquaintances.
There, I got up close with true bred Marwari horses. These are said to be part of Chetak’s bloodline. For those who barely stayed awake in the History class, Chetak was the legendary steed of Maharana Pratap. He trusted Chetak with his life when he led his army into the battles during the late 1500s. And the horses paid for that trust and love with an unmatched loyalty.
I can say with pride that I have had the honour of riding some of these horses, though not galloping at their full strength. Having that much power at your command and keeping it under control at the same time takes a lot of training and practice. I certainly didn’t possess either of those but a short trot did feel like I was starting to get in the rhythm with these magnificent beings.
By the way, if you have a long weekend to experience a royal lifestyle, horseback riding in the timeless sands of Rajasthan and dune bashing, then you don’t need to go through Jaipur like I did. You can skip the Pink City, which gets even more crowded on long weekends and head straight to Mandawa.
The drive is considerably shorter than Delhi-Jaipur but it’ll take about the same time to reach this un-popular weekend destination from Delhi. You don’t even need to bring your own 4X4. They have their own collection of ATVs and off-roaders.
After a good long sleep, I started my journey back home. Driving along the highways to Delhi, I had a sense of satisfaction that the Jimny afforded me. If I had something bigger, I would have had to leave it at the gates of Mandawa and explore the art on foot. If I had something without 4WD, I wouldn’t have had so much fun playing around the sand dunes.
Since Piyush has a lot of experience driving around in the sands of Rajasthan, I engaged him in a conversation about the car we were driving. While we were discussing 4WD vehicles, we also discussed the importance of having a heavy vehicle. You see, when a vehicle gets stuck, putting extra weight on it, helps it find grip where we have none and get out of a sticky situation. This led me to believe that a heavy vehicle should be ideal to traverse the sands of Thar desert.
Then he dropped on me a profound piece of nugget, which I’ll never forget. He asked me:
Do you want to ride on the sand or in the sand?
There was no back and forth between us on the topic after that. But there was a lot of pondering to do on this subject on my way back. I used the peace and quiet while driving on the highways to think of situations where extra weight would be helpful in the sands. I couldn’t come up with any. Could you?
By: HT Auto Desk | Updated on: 01 Apr 2024, 17:24 PM
Models like Fronx, Brezza and Grand Vitara continue to lead Maruti Suzuki’s charge in the SUV segment while Ertiga and XL6 power the carmaker in MPV s
…
Models like Fronx, Brezza and Grand Vitara continue to lead Maruti Suzuki’s charge in the SUV segment while Ertiga and XL6 power the carmaker in MPV segment.
Maruti Suzuki continues to witness increase in sales of its utility vehicles with SUVs like Fronx, Brezza, Grand Vitara and Jimny.
Utility vehicles have proved to be the game-changer for Maruti Suzuki yet again as the carmaker recorded a 15 per cent jump in passenger car sales in March. With the help of SUVs and MPVs like Brezza and Ertiga among others, Maruti clocked more than 1.52 lakh sales last month. While the utility vehicle segment continues to witness rise in sales, the compact cars like Baleno and Swift continues a downslide for the carmaker. Overall, Maruti Suzuki ended the financial year with record sales of more than 21 lakh cars.
Compact cars from Maruti Suzuki continues to be the biggest contributor to its sales despite falling numbers. Maruti sells models like Baleno, Celerio, Dzire, Ignis, Swift and WagonR in this segment. In March, Maruti clocked 71,832 units in the segment which is lower than 69,844 units it could sell during the same month last year. Maruti is expected to see some upward movement in the segment when it launches the facelift version of the Swift and Dzire sometime later this year.
The biggest gainer among Maruti cars are its SUVs and MPVs. With sales of 58,436 units in March, Maruti saw an impressive 57 per cent increase over 37,054 units sold in March last year. SUVs like Brezza, Fronx and Grand Vitara remain the best-selling models for Maruti in this segment. In the MPV segment, Ertiga and XL6 remain among the top-selling models.
Small cars like Alto and S-Presso also saw rise in sales in the last month of the fiscal. The two models found 11,829 takers in March, marginally higher than 11,582 unit sales during the same month last year. Ciaz, the only mid-size sedan in Maruti’s lineup, saw only 590 units dispatched last month.
Overall, Maruti sold 21.35 lakh cars in the last 12 months, a record for India’s largest car manufacturer. Out of these, Maruti’s sale in India was nearly 17.60 lakh with almost 10 per cent increase over the last financial year. In FY2023-24, Maruti’s overall exports also hit a record of 2.83 lakh units. In March alone, Maruti exported 25,892 units.
By: HT Auto Desk | Updated on: 23 Mar 2024, 13:19 PM
The recall notice states that 286 examples of the Suzuki Jimny 3-door in Queensland, Australia, have been affected, which were manufactured between 2
…
The recall notice states that 286 examples of the Suzuki Jimny 3-door in Queensland, Australia, have been affected, which were manufactured between 2018 and 2019.
Suzuki Queensland is a separate entity from Suzuki Australia and the latter is expected to issue a separate recall for the off-roader
Suzuki Queensland has announced a recall involving 286 units of the Jimny 3-door off-roader in the land down under. The recall notice states that 286 examples of the Suzuki Jimny in Queensland have been affected, which were manufactured between 2018 and 2019. The company stated that a potential fault with the fuel pump on the SUV was likely.
The recall notice filed with the Department of Infrastructure in Queensland stated that the fuel pump impeller may swell and cause the fuel pump to stop working, due to a manufacturing defect. This could result in a loss of power on the off-roader.
The Suzuki Jimny 3-door is made in India and exported to a number of markets overseas
It needs to be noted that Suzuki Queensland is separate from Suzuki Australia, and is responsible for Suzuki cars imported and sold in the state. This does mean that Suzuki Australia could issue a separate recall for the Jimny 3-door for the same issue. Suzuki Queensland further said that it will be contacting customers of the affected vehicles and will schedule a service appointment to have the fuel pump replaced free of charge.
More recently, Maruti Suzuki also issued a recall in India for the Baleno and WagonR for a faulty fuel pump issue. Over 16,000 units were affected by either model and were manufactured in 2019 as well. The Suzuki Jimny for Australia is exported from India including the three-door version. The Jimny 5-door should not be affected by the recall, given a much later production timeline.
US–based auto giant Ford Motor is expected to return to India soon with models like new Endeavour SUV and Mustang Mach-E.
Ford Everest, earlier sold as Endeavour SUV, is one of the most awaited cars from the US-based auto giants expected for a comeback in new avatar soon.
Ford Motor could soon to return to India as the US-based carmaker recently filed a few design patents for the domestic market and two of its global models spotted on Indian roads recently. Ford Motor has not officially made any statement on the future of Ford India yet. However, the carmaker is expected to make a comeback after two years after stopping production in 2022. From Figo to Ecosport, Ford has offered several popular models in India before it left the market. While these models may not return to India, here is a look at five global cars which one would like to see on Indian roads when Ford returns.
The Endeavour SUV, rival to Toyota Fortuner, is one of the most awaited models in India. The rival to Toyota Fortuner, Endeavour has been one of the best-selling models in the large SUV space before Ford stopped making cars in India. Recently, Ford Everest was seen on Indian roads, triggering speculation of the SUV’s return. Everest is basically the new generation avatar of the Endeavour SUV sold globally.
The Everest SUV spotted in India comes powered by a 2.0-litre turbo diesel or a 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel engine. The turbo engine can churn out 168 bhp of power while the bi-turbo can generate 208 bhp of power. The torque output peaks at 405 Nm and 500 Nm. The turbo diesel engine uses a 6-speed automatic transmission whereas the Bi-turbo gets a 10-speed automatic transmission. Both gearboxes get SelectShift and Ford offers 4×2 as well as 4×4 drivetrains.
Ford Ranger
The Ranger pickup truck is another model that was spotted on Indian roads along with the Everest SUV. The Ranger, which could rival the likes of Toyota Hilux and Isuzu D-Max sold in India, is one of the smallest pickup trucks Ford offers in global markets.
Ford offers the Ranger pickup globally with three engine options. There is a 2.3-litre EcoBoost, 2.7-litre EcoBoost and a 3.0-litre EcoBoost. The 2.3-litre unit puts out 266 bhp of max power and 420 Nm of peak torque. Then there is the 3.0-litre unit that is rated for 399 bhp and 583 Nm. As of now, the 2.7-litre engine has not gone on sale. Ford says that they are targeting power and torque figures of 310 bhp and 542 Nm.
Ford Bronco
IF Ford was to have an SUV that can rival the likes of Mahindra Thar or Maruti Suzuki Jimny, it would probably be the Bronco. Ford launched the Bronco SUV in 2021 with both two-door and four-door 4X4 versions for the first time. Ford Bronco SUVs are offered in two powertrain options. There is a 2.7-litre EcoBoost V6 petrol engine which can produce 310 horsepower and 542 Nm of torque. It also comes equipped with a 2.3-litre EcoBoost four-cylinder engine which can churn out 270 hp of power and peak torque of 420 Nm.
Ford Mustang Mach-E
Ford used to sell the Mustang sports car in India before it wrapped up business three years ago. However, the Mustang can return to India in its new electric avatar when Ford makes a comeback. Ford Mustang Mach-E, which was recently trademarked in India, comes with up to 502 km of driving range. Ford offers the EV equipped with two battery choices – a 72 kWh unit and a 91 kWh unit.
Ford F-150 Lightning
As EV adoption in India grows and customers look forward to newer models, Ford may find an opportunity in the electric pickup segment with the F-150 Lightning. Launched for the first time in 2022, the F-150 Lightning is one of the most popular electric pickup trucks in the US.
The Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck comes with a range of 482 km on a single charge. Equipped with dual electric motors, one on each axle, the electric pickup can achieve 563 horsepower and a staggering 1,050 Nm of peak torque. F-150 Lightning can go from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in just four seconds. Ford claims that with a super fast DC charger, the F-150 Lightning can replenish around 87 kms of charge in just 10 minutes, charging the battery from 15 to 80% in just 41 minutes. The towing capacity of the F-150 Lightning, an important characteristic in pickup trucks, is 4.53 tonnes.
Baleno and Swift continue to power Maruti Suzuki through February
Table of Contents
By: HT Auto Desk | Updated on: 01 Mar 2024, 16:47 PM
Maruti Suzuki is currently preparing to launch the new-gen Swift in the Indian market.
Image used for representational purposes only. (Image courtesy: X/@HQ_DG_NCC)
India’s largest four-wheeler manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, has announced sales figures for February. Maruti Suzuki sold a total of 1,97,471 units, which consists of domestic sales of 163,397 units, sales to other OEMs of 5,147 units and exports of 28,927 units.
The compact segment was the most popular as the brand sold 71,627 units in February 2024. It consists of vehicles like Baleno, Celerio, Dzire, Ignis, Swift, Tour S and WagonR. Then there were the utility vehicles, which consisted of Brezza, Ertiga, Fronx, Grand Vitara, Invicto, Jimny, S-Cross and XL6. The sales figures stood at 61,234 units. Ciaz and Eeco sold 481 and 12,147 units, respectively.
Affordable compact vehicles such as Alto and S-Presso are still very popular as the brand sold a combined 14,782 units of those. The rest of the sales numbers come from Super Carry, which is a light commercial vehicle and sales to other OEMs.
From April to February, the most popular models for Maruti Suzuki were WagonR, Baleno and Swift. SUVs accounted for 51.5 per cent of overall sales for Maruti Suzuki.
The brand is currently preparing to launch a new generation of Swift in the Indian market. The hatchback has already been revealed in Japan and will soon be making its way to Indian shores. The hatchback will not only get some major cosmetic upgrades but it would also get an all-new engine.
The new engine is a three-cylinder unit as compared to the four-cylinder unit that we currently get in the Indian market. Suzuki says that this change has been done in favour of more low-end torque and more fuel efficiency. In the global market, the new engine comes mated to a CVT automatic transmission. It is expected that the Indian market will still get a 5-speed manual gearbox and an AMT transmission.
Maruti Suzuki ended February as India’s second largest SUV manufacturer behind segment leader Mahindra and Mahindra.
Maruti Suzuki’s dominance in the SUV market has been buoyed by vehicles such as Fronx, Grand Vitara, Brezza and Jimny. The carmaker is currently close second to Mahindra in the SUV segment in terms of sales.
Maruti Suzuki continues to benefit from its sport utility vehicles (SUVs) as it remains one of the largest manufacturers in the segment for the Financial Year 2023-24. From April last year to February 2024, Maruti has sold more than four lakh SUVs, which include the likes of Brezza, Grand Vitara, Fronx, Jimny and S-Cross. Though the carmaker had briefly become India’s largest SUV manufacturer last year, the crown has been retaken by Mahindra and Mahindra, the maker of Scorpio-N, Thar and XUV700 among others. However, Maruti Suzuki plans to continue with its SUV offensive and aims to increase its sales in the coming days.
From small and compact cars to small and compact SUVs – Maruti Suzuki’s shift towards the more popular body-type in passenger vehicle segment has been rapid. In the last two years, the carmaker has driven in as many as four models, including the Grand Vitara, Fronx and Jimny. Maruti Suzuki said that it has sold 4,04,114 units of sport utility vehicles in the ongoing financial year. However, it admitted that it is likely to fail in meeting estimates of selling around 4.50 lakh SUVs within the same fiscal.
In February, Maruti Suzuki delivered 41,256 units of SUVs. Brezza, Fronx and Grand Vitara contributed the bulk of the sales in the segment. Currently, Maruti Suzuki has a little more than 20 per cent market share. The Jimny, one of the most anticipated launches that took place last year, has not been as successful as some of its siblings. However, it managed to increase its sales to 514 last month from the low of 163 units in January this year.
Compared to its rival Mahindra and Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki ended February just short by nearly 1,200 SUVs. Mahindra sold 42,401 units last month, mostly through its popular Scorpio brand which is available in Scorpio-N and Scorpio Classic versions. Jimny’s sales performance could be one of the factors why Maruti Suzuki may not hit the 4.50-lakh unit sales in the segment by March-end. Its performance could also be the reason why Maruti is currently lagging behind Mahindra in terms of market share in the SUV segment.
The Mahindra Thar 5-door is one of the most eagerly awaited offerings from the automaker’s stable. The Thar 5-door has been spotted testing on multiple occasions and the latlatest spy shots that emerged online remind you that the model is closer to launch. The latest images show a camouflaged test mule of the lifestyle SUV, albeit wearing production-ready alloy wheels.
By: HT Auto Desk | Updated on: 24 Dec 2023, 10:48 AM
The Mahindra Thar 5 door is slated to arrive in 2024 and will be a lifestyle vehicle positioned above the ₹15 lakh mark (Instagram/cars_universe_yt)
The difference in the alloy wheels is notable with Mahindra moving away from the multi-spoke units on the current Thar 3-door to what appears to be a diamond-cut design. The test unit also appears to come with LED headlamps with circular LED DRLs, which further hint at the model being nearly ready for production.
The new Thar 5-door will be a more practical offering over the 3-door model while retaining the off-road capability. Previous spy shots have revealed features like the dashboard and seats, especially with a usable second row. It will also get features like an electric sunroof, a larger infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a centre armrest between the front seats, height adjustable seatbelts and AC vents for the rear passengers. It will also get a much larger boot space, making it far more practical regarding day-to-day driving.
The upcoming Mahindra Thar 5-door will also sport a longer wheelbase to support all the changes. Power is expected to come from the familiar 2.2-litre diesel and 2.0-litre turbo petrol engines, which could be tuned differently. Expect to see both manual and automatic transmission choices at the time of launch, while the model is also expected to arrive with 4×4. Mahindra could bring the Thar 5-door with just rear-wheel drive for a lower starting price. The SUV will take on the Maruti Suzuki Jimny and upcoming Force Gurkha 5-door when it arrives next year.
The Thunder Edition comes with several accessories as standard. It gets a front skid plate, side door cladding, door visor, door sill guard, grip cover in rustic tan, floor mat and graphics on the exterior. There is also a garnish on the front bumper, ORVM, side fender and hood.
Maruti Suzuki has not made any other changes to the Jimny. It continues to come with a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, K-series naturally aspirated petrol engine that produces 103 bhp of max power at 6,000 rpm and a peak torque output of 134 Nm at 4,000 rpm. It comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 4-speed torque converter automatic transmission. The manual gearbox delivers a claimed fuel economy of 16.94 kmpl whereas the automatic transmission delivers 16.39 kmpl. The SUV comes with four-wheel drive as standard and the automatic transmission is available on both variants.
In terms of safety equipment, the Jimny is equipped with 6 airbags, brake limited slip differential, ABS with EBD, Electronic Stability Program, Hill Hold Control, Hill Descent Control, Rear View Camera, Brake Assist Function and Engine Immobilizer.
The top-end Alpha variant is equipped with a push start/stop button, cruise control, leather-wrapped steering wheel, automatic climate control and a larger touchscreen infotainment system. Apart from this, it also comes with automatic LED headlamps, headlamp washers, fog lamps, dark green glass window, body-coloured door handles, alloy wheels and electrically foldable ORVMs.
Watch: Maruti Suzuki Jimny SUV: First Drive Review
In terms of dimensions, the Maruti Suzuki Jimny measures 3,985 mm in length, is 1,645 mm wide and stands 1,720 mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 2,590 mm. The main highlight of this version of the vehicle is that it offers more cabin space than its three-door twin because of the longer wheelbase.
Maruti Suzuki India has partnered with the Indian Navy to create awareness about career opportunities amongst the Northeastern youth through ab outreach program, called the ‘Khamree Mo Sikkim’. As a part of this association, 45 Navy officials will be driving five Maruti Suzuki vehicles for the next few weeks, covering some key regions in the country such as Mhow, Jhansi, Lucknow, Varanasi and Patna.
By: HT Auto Desk | Updated on: 24 Sep 2023, 12:26 PM
Maruti Jimny off-roader SUV
The five vehicles will include three Maruti Jimny off-roader and two Grand Vitara ALL GRIP SUVs. The 6,500-km long expedition was flagged off from the Indian Navy base at Lonavala on 24 September, Sunday. Other key regions being covered include Bagdogra, Gangtok, Lachen, Gurudongma, Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Vishakhapatnam, and Hyderabad.
Watch: Maruti Suzuki Jimny SUV: First Drive Review
The expedition will take place across three stretches with the first stretch going from INS Shivaji to Bagdogra, the second stretch comprehensively covering Sikkim, and the third stretch extending from Gangtok, Sikkim, to INS Shivaji, with a particular focus on empowering the youth in rural areas along the eastern coastal region. “Our association with the Indian Navy underscores our unwavering dedication to fostering progress in the Northeastern region and nurturing the potential of our nation’s youth,” said Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited.
As the convoy will traverse across diverse states, participants will engage with local communities and provide them with guidance on defense entrance exams at esteemed educational institutions. Along the route, participants will also visit historically significant monuments. “This initiative is a collaborative effort to contribute to the progress and well-being of Northeast India. Our primary goal is to enlighten and inspire the youth about the abundant prospects within the Navy,” said Srivastava.
