With Baleno, Ignis booming, Maruti quietly killing S-Cross

With both the Ignis and the Baleno getting very strong response, the Nexa dealerships seem to be booming. But the car that kick started these dealerships - the S-Cross - has seen a slump in demand, and Maruti Suzuki has quietly discontinued the lower variants of the S-Cross with the 1.6-litre engine, reports PTI.

The company has discontinued the Delta and Zeta variants of the S-Cross and now the more powerful 1.6-litre engine will be available in only the top Alpha variant.

The 1.3-litre diesel engine will continue to be sold in all four variants - Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha. Priced between Rs8.78 lakh and Rs10.63 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the S-Cross has already seen a price revision last year, with prices being cut by over Rs2 lakh. And now the company has plans to bring out a facelift of the car (which has already been revealed).

A Maruti Suzuki spokesperson told PTI, "It is business prudence to keep the number of variants at an optimum level in line with customer's requirements. We started a new segment called premium crossover with S-Cross. Volume-wise, S-Cross continues to do an average of 2,000-2,100 units monthly."

There was also a reduction in price of the 1.3 litre variant which ranged from Rs40,000 to Rs66,000. The S-Cross has been a slow starter for the company and Maruti Suzuki has pulled out all stops to make it work and it says that the S-Cross contributes to the overall brand objectives of the company for the medium and long term.

There's been a significant growth in the UV segment for Maruti Suzuki this year and it's seen a positive growth of 120 per cent and all the credit goes to the Vitara Brezza, which in fact even took home the 2017 NDTV Viewer's Choice Car Of The Year Award.

The company has plans for aggressive expansion of the Nexa dealerships and with its Gujarat plant becoming operational soon, the company will be able to cater for the growing demand of the Baleno, Vitara Brezza and even the Ignis.