Maruti Suzuki has officially confirmed what was already known to the public, the company has decided to discontinue production of the Ciaz. Express Drives had earlier reported that India’s number one car manufacturer pulled the plug on the Ciaz confirming no new-generation sedan is in development. With the sedan sales plummeting to single-digit sales against the SUV domination, Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer of Marketing and Sales at Maruti Suzuki threw a curveball, hinting the Ciaz nameplate might rise again like the phoenix. Could there be a possibility of a new avatar?
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz: Is there a revival on the cards?
Maruti Suzuki launched the Ciaz in 2014 filling the void of the erstwhile Baleno sedan, which stopped production in 2007. The Ciaz went up against the Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Vento and Skoda Rapid. With the sedan share getting decimated in the market, many manufacturers decided to exit this segment. After 11 years, the Ciaz finally decided to call it.
Banerjee offered an interesting take on the Ciaz, stating that while the company may have decided to end production of the sedan, the nameplate still enjoys a strong following. He pointed to the first-generation Baleno, which debuted as a five-seater sedan in 1999 and was discontinued after eight years, only to return in 2015 as a hatchback—now one of India’s best-selling vehicles. Based on this precedent, the Ciaz could potentially make a comeback in the future with a different body style.
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz: Specifications
The Ciaz was powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine 103 bhp at 6000 rpm and a torque of 138 Nm at 4400 rpm. It was mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic torque converter.
