The compact sedan segment has been Maruti Suzuki's stronghold. Right from the 1000, Esteem, Baleno to even the SX4. In fact, the Ciaz continued this tradition and has been the championing the compact sedan segment even though there's been a strong rise in cars launched in this segment. The facelift of the Ciaz has been long pending and with Honda bringing in the City facelift in February 2017, Hyundai upping the ante with the new-gen Verna in August the same year and Toyota now getting into the segment with the new Yaris, there's been a whole lot to deal with for Maruti Suzuki. The effects of the competition the Ciaz is facing are now showing. The sales of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz have declined gradually over the past year. In the financial year 2017-18, the Ciaz showed a drop in sales of nearly 8.4 per cent, but it has to be noted that the car was still selling at an average of 4000 units per month.
Come March 2018, this drop was a big one and the sales of the Ciaz declined by 12.1 per cent compared to March 2017. But the biggest drop in sales has been witnessed in the month of April this year. The sales of the Ciaz dropped by 27.2 per cent compared to the same period last year. Maruti Suzuki sold 5116 units of the Ciaz in April, which is actually more than what it sold in March 2018 (4321 units).
The company introduced the Ciaz RS in 2015 which came with a rear spoiler
The compact sedan segment has seen a burst in activity and the Ciaz has managed to stand its ground. The facelift of the car, however, I long overdue and yes, Maruti Suzuki has all plans to bring one out. We've recently brought you news about the company testing, what looks like the facelift of the Ciaz. In the past three and a half years of its life-cycle, the only major upgrades to the Ciaz comprised the addition of new variants, Android Auto and the RS version with cosmetic changes, so this time around Maruti Suzuki is going to be a bit more thorough.
Maruti Suzuki has been testing the Ciaz facelift for sometime now
The 2018 Maruti Suzuki Ciaz facelift, then, will have to be a lot more comprehensive as it aims to drive sales back to the top spot. Moreover, in order to keep the model fresh until the next generation arrives sometime around 2020-2021. The China-spec Ciaz received a facelift last year, and we expect some of those elements to make it to the model in India too, including the bigger grille, new bumpers and new headlamp assembly. Expect the interiors to get a more premium touch as well, if not a complete revamp.
Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Facelift Caught Testing
Under the hood, rumours are rife that Maruti Suzuki could introduce new 1.5-litre engines on the Ciaz facelift. The 1.5-litre K-Series petrol motor recently debuted on the Indonesian-spec new generation Suzuki Ertiga, and could effectively replace the 1.4-litre motor currently on offer. Meanwhile, the 1.5-litre diesel is being developed by Suzuki and will replace the 1.3-litre Fiat-sourced MultiJet unit seen across the Maruti portfolio. It is likely that the new petrol motor could make it to India first, while the new 1.5 diesel will take sometime.
