5,000,000 WagonRs sold worldwide + new spy pics + Vehicle specs + Comprehensive details

Suzuki Motor Corporation announced that the total worldwide sales of the tall boy WagonR has reached 5 Million units at the end of February this year. While 5 million units is a huge number, Japan contributed 3,498,000 while Indians and Chinese bought 832,000 and 330,000 WagonRs respectively. Apart from these three countries, 340,000 units were sold in the rest of the world. The Indian sales figure is not even close to the Japanese figure because in Japan, the WagonR has been on sale for four generations while the second generation of the Indian WagonR will be launched on April 23rd. Click here to read the complete history of WagonR.

The WagonR has been on sale in various countries (66 to be precise) and has been a very successful model largely because of its practical nature.It has twice won the Automotive Researchers’ and Journalists’ Conference of Japan (RJC) Car of the Year award and has been the top-selling minivehicle in Japan for seven consecutive years.

Wheelosphere’s scoops were also on dot. We got our hands on the spy pictures of the all new WagonR way back in December 2009 and the new pictures just weeks back.

Maruti will launch the all new WagonR on 23rd April. It is based on the all new 4th Generation Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) WagonRs platform and features all new powertrain and suspension systems. The new WagonR will be powered by the K10B 3-cylinder engine currently doing duty in the A-Star and Estilo. The new engine promises improved performance and a huge improvement in fuel efficiency – ARAI figures are 18.9km/l, just 0.7km/l away from the A-Star. With more outright space than its competition (and siblings), the new model is expected to set benchmarks for the segment in terms of space. It will have a stiffer chassis and tailored blanks are used all over and these specially treated, sandwiched and layered pieces of steel help provide stiffness without adding wasteful bulk. The new WagonR also features an all new subframe that carries the powertrain and suspension. The lower arms are now pivoted on two points on the sub-frame against the single point pivot on the earlier model. This will improve driving dynamics by a large extent while reducing NVH levels to offer a refined drive.

The new WagonR comes loaded with kit right from tilt-steering, ergonomically designed gear knob, electrically operated ORVMs, new HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning system) design, improved rear legroom, storage tray under co-driver’s seat, dual-tone interiors, new steering wheel and lots more.

On the sidelines of holding a sneak preview of the model, Mayank Pareekh, executive officer, Marketing and Sales, MSIL, said, “It’s not a minor change and everything is new in this model. Usually, the company spends around Rs. 40-50 crore on refurbishing any existing model for it to be launched in a new avatar. But in the new WagonR, MSIL had spent more than Rs. 290 crore besides the investment from vendors. A lot of investments have gone into the development of the product to make it an optimal choice for the Indian consumer.” Pareekh said as of now MSIL would only be manufacturing the petrol version of the WagonR which would give more power and fuel efficiency.

He also added that, “The hatchback is India’s No.2 selling car only after Alto and we hope to retain this leadership position with new WagonR.”

The vehicle specifications are

Length – 3595mm

Wheelbase – 2400mm

Width – 1495mm

Height – 1700mm

Engine Capacity – 998cc 3-Cylinders 12 valves

Power – 67bhp @ 6200rpm

Torque – 90Nm @ 3500rpm

Transmission – 5-Speed cableoperated

Sporting a localisation of 93%, the new WagonR will set new standards for value. Although it will be priced higher than the existing model, we expect it to be priced between Rs 3.4-4.5 lakhs for the five variants – Lx, Lxi, Vxi, Vxi + ABS and Zxi. The top two models get integrated stereo, rear wipers cum defoggers while the Zxi sports two airbags.

Images from Autoten

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