Maruti Suzuki has been working on a facelift of Maruti Ritz 2012 hatchback in India which is not getting much of sales for the company as of now. Maruti Ritz has been launched in India originally in the year 2009 has not got very pleasing sales figures in last three years partly because of close placement of the superior handling sibling Maruti Swift which sold in big numbers. With the new Maruti Swift 2011, the placement of the Ritz and Swift has somewhat got farther from each other, but still many Ritz buyers prefer Swift for some extra bucks because Swift offers better handling, style and improved engine performance and mileage. To address all these concerns and improve on Ritz placement and sales, Maruti Suzuki is coming up with new Maruti Ritz 2012 as we reported in Feb 2012. For the first time, we have spotted some non-camouflaged pictures of the Maruti Ritz 2012 clearly from the front which shows some facelifts on the Front of the new Maruti Ritz 2012. Its is more like the facelift we was on Maruti Zen Estilo Edge last year which was a visually improved front fascia over the originally launched Maruti Zen Estilo. Let us talk of these differences in details.
image – Maruti Ritz 2012 Facelift New Model
Maruti Ritz 2012 Vs Maruti Ritz 2009
Above is the picture of new model Maruti Ritz 2012 Facelift and below is a picture of Maruti Ritz 2009. If you look at them closely, the front grille has been changed slightly with larger looks in the 2012 new model. The headlamps remain practically the same with no visual clues of any upgrade. The front bumper and bonnet design has changed drastically. The bonnet is now smaller compared to the old design and the bumper is larger. This gives a new cute happy face like look to the front fascia of Maruti Ritz 2012. The contour lines below the headlamps are more slant in the new model and fog lamp housings are now larger and triangular in design slanting downwards giving a more kinetic and fresher look.
image – Maruti Ritz 2009 Old Model
The side profile seems unchanged and the interiors are not quite visible in these leaked pictures, so can’t comment on it for sure, but we do expect some improvements on the interiors as well as the Interiors of Ritz 2009 feel quite dated. The most significant improvements are most likely under the hood with improved engine performance. We expect the Maruti will give a similar upgrade to engines of new Ritz like it gave it in new Maruti Swift with improved tuning, better power, better mileage and lesser emissions.
image – Maruti Ritz 2012 Facelift New Model
The petrol engine model of Maruti Ritz 2012 may get the VTVT (VVTI Technology) K series engine like the Maruti Swift which produces 87 PS of peak power and 114 Nm of torque. The fuel efficiency is also expected to go up 17.7 KMPL towards 19 KMPL mark.
The diesel engine of Maruti Ritz 2012 will be a re-tuned 1.3 Litre Fiat Multi-jet DDiS Diesel engine with peak power of about 75 PS and peak torque of about 190 Nm with a FGT Turbocharger and a fuel economy rating of close to 23 KMPL.
Some weight reduction is also expected as Maruti is doing with almost all of its new models to improve the fuel efficiency. This is usually done by using polymer fuel tanks instead of metal and weight optimizations in the other parts of new generation Maruti cars in India.
image – Maruti Ritz 2009 Old Model
We will keep a check on the new developments and will bring you the latest updates on the launch of Maruti Ritz 2012 in India. Stay tuned to us for latest updates by signing up for our free email newsletter and like our official Facebook Page.
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Updated on 9th May 2012:
New Maruti Ritz Japanese sibling, Suzuki Splash2012 has been officially revealed by Suzuki Japan.. The Indian Ritz will be almost the same as thee Suzuki Splash in Japan, the pictures of the Suzuki Splash are shown below:
Updates on 15 June 2012
Suzuki Germany has launched the facelifted Suzuki Ritz (called Suzuki Splash) in Germany with the same exteriors as we have shown you in the Japanese model. The new 2012 Ritz/ Splash in Germany is offered with a 1 litre K10 engine and a 4 speed automatic transmission box as optional. The new 2012 Ritz new launch in India is just around the corner as Maruti Suzuki has started offering special edition of Ritz with additional features which seems like a stock clearing activity after which the new model will be introduced which is all set to hit Indian roads. Apart form the cosmetic uplift, the new Ritz 2012 is expected to get minor changes on the engine front with new VVT K12 Petrol engine expected with improved tuning for higher mileage. The diesel model of the Ritz will also get some tweaks in the engine to deliver better mileage with over 20 KMPL on diesel. We will keep you posted on the updates, stay tuned.
Updated on 3rd September 2012
2012 Maruti Ritz Diesel New Model Launched At Rs. 5.31 Lakhs
