Maruti Suzuki Celerio to return class-leading 23.1km/l mileage

Maruti Suzuki's all new Celerio hatchback will be unveiled at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo, which will replace the A-Star and Zen Estilo in India. The hatchback has already created a buzz in the market, and MSIL is very confident of its success. Other than the never-seen-before features like automated manual transmission gearbox 'EZ Drive', the class-leading mileage of 23.1km/l is the other factor that has been attracting potential buyers. Looking at the growing interest for cars, the company has started taking pre-launch bookings and initiated test drives across the country.

The hatchback will be powered with the existing 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder K-Series petrol engine, which delivers a peak power output of 67bhp and 90Nm of torque. A new automatic manual gearbox and a five speed manual transmission will be on offer. The Maruti Celerio shares a great resemblance with the A-Wind Concept, which made its debut at Thailand Motor Show. Measuring around 3600mm (length) x 1600mm (width) x 1540mm (height), the new Celerio will be bigger, more spacious and feature packed than its predecessor.

The cabin too is more up-market with better plastic quality and rich features. The starting price for the Celerio is expected to be around Rs. 4 lakh, which will make it Rs. 20, 000 to Rs. 25, 000 more expensive than the existing A-Star. The Maruti Suzuki Celerio hatchback will compete against the likes of Chevrolet Beat, Nissan Micra Active and Tata Indica V2.