Maruti to launch MPV Ertiga by March

New Delhi, Jan 6 (PTI) The country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India today said it is all set to launch the multi-purpose vehicle Ertiga by end of March this year. The new seven seater compact MPV was unveiled at the 11th Auto Expo. "We would like to start the sale of this car as quick as possible. But possibly, the commercial roll-out would begin by end of March or beginning of April this year," Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director and CEO, Shinzo Nakanishi told reporters. Without specifying the price of the new car, the company said," it will be attractively priced." The company would manufacture the new car at its plant in Gurgaon near Delhi in the northern Indian state of Haryana. With Ertiga, Maruti Suzuki will step into the Utility Vehicle (UV) segment and effectively create a new compact MPV segment in India. According to an estimate provided by the company, the utility vehicle segment accounts for around 14 per cent of the Indian automobile industry and 66 per cent of this are MPVs. With this new car, the company will for the first time introduce K-14 VVT 1.4 litre engine in India. The car will also be launched in diesel variant. PTI