[Rshrey22]

The Suzuki Solio (this car) is sold as a 5 seater with generous rear seat legroom in Japan. Fitting a 3rd row doesn't seem a fruitfull idea considering the fact that this will be powered by 1.2 petrol. A 1.2 engine can't haul that much load.

Plus the odd-ball looks pretty much kills the car for the Indian market since Indians already don't have a liking for 'Van' like looking cars.

[Cooltronics]

Honestly I am quite perplexed seeing this news. A wagon not exceeding 4 metre length and seating 7 adults is a cramp

Maruti Omni with an engine below the seat was still barely able to make 8 people sit with next to nil luggage space

While manufacturer's are finding it difficult to get enough leg space for 5 Adults in a sub 4 metre sedan, looking at the seating capacity is itself making me think of chicken cabinets

[i74js]

Its Maruti and will sell; even by poor MSIL standards 2000+ copies per month is given. Are we not letting a company sell something which is inherently weak in terms of shell strength / white body and the underpinning?

7 people in a sub-four meter vehicle is a big time compromise on safety and should not be permitted. I have seen Maruti Ecco being stuffed with 10+ people at multiple occasions and would expect similar fate for the elongated WagonR (Solio).

This is not just insane but criminal !

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by Cooltronics

While manufacturer's are finding it difficult to get enough leg space for 5 Adults in a sub 4 metre sedan, looking at the seating capacity is itself making me think of chicken cabinets

Originally Posted by i74js

This is not just insane but criminal !

India is unlike any other country in the world. It is a developing country with 130+ crore people, and most of them are living with just-enough income. Nothing is shining other than a limited number of people. Car penetration is very very low. Bikes are selling almost 6 - 7 times more than cars.

Consider this:

Assume a car's life period as 15 years, and average yearly car sales of 40 lakhs units. During these 15 years, a total of 6 crores of cars will be sold. After that, we can assume the same people will replace their cars. That means, the percentage of people who can afford to buy a car is just 4.6% of the 130 crore people. (Note: This is including taxis, govt vehicles, and the people with multiple cars.)

Now, in recent times we see a trend that the premium hatches are selling more than entry level cars. Is it solely because people are aware of the safety aspects? Not exactly, but it is because of the customers buying their next car. (All these new manufacturers appeared in India during the last 15-20 years.) Clear evidence for the fact that not much has changed for the common man in-order to buy their first car. It is the "rich" people who are becoming richer every day. Others, lug their life on 2-wheelers, sandwiched inside rickshaws, pedal their cycles or just walk to the destiny.

Before enforcing rules to make cars safer and thereby increasing the prices (which will make it increasingly difficult for people on a low budget) or lamenting companies for manufacturing cars with no active or passive safety features, one should think about the nearly 2 crore motor bikes sold in India every year. Are they enjoying any kind of safety feature? Or the people travel in an auto-rickshaw with their life in their hands.

A set of four wheels is a more safer option for them at any day. The more cheaper the 4-wheeler, the more the possibility of people moving to it. But you need to provide them reliable cars. One reason why the cheapest car on earth failed miserably.

[volkman10]

New WagonR (?)spied on test again,









Link

[Subby]

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

Before enforcing rules to make cars safer and thereby increasing the prices (which will make it increasingly difficult for people on a low budget) or lamenting companies for manufacturing cars with no active or passive safety features, one should think about the nearly 2 crore motor bikes sold in India every year. Are they enjoying any kind of safety feature? Or the people travel in an auto-rickshaw with their life in their hands.

A set of four wheels is a more safer option for them at any day. The more cheaper the 4-wheeler, the more the possibility of people moving to it.

Considering the Indian scenario, it is agreed that affordability matters. Providing full-fledged safety features to smaller cars may put the cost beyond the reach of a significant portion of population but at the same time we cannot overlook the safety requirement.

Given any day, a car is always safer than two-wheeler but overall perception on safety is very poor in India; which is a major concern. We see every day how people staff their kids in Auto-rickshaw or egg-shell Omni. This practice should be stopped.

Authority needs to act on providing better safe and convenient public transport, improve general safety awareness and be strict on implementation on road rules.

Originally Posted by i74js

I have seen Maruti Ecco being stuffed with 10+ people at multiple occasions and would expect similar fate for the elongated WagonR (Solio).

This is not just insane but criminal !

Most of the manufacturers are driven with profit motive with mere lip services to social welfare. Maruti is no exception as well as other “Phoren” companies. But only the manufacturer cannot be held liable for foolish acts of the users. Every manufacturer clearly mentions the passenger carrying capacity and that is also registered in the vehicle RC. People need to respect and abide by the laws of the land and cannot act at their convenience only.

Coming back to the topic, why Maruti will put their future car model on road test without any camouflage. I do not think Maruti will introduce Solio as a replacement of Wagon R unless they are compelled to do so considering the future stringent safety norms. In India, Wagon R is a cash-cow for Maruti and there is no point of discontinuing its present form factor; why fix what isn't broken. A cosmetic change can be expected at best!

[volkman10]

Solio spotted testing again, could be testing its Hybrid power-train.

the company could probably be testing the hybrid version of the 1.2-litre K12 petrol engine that powers the Japan-spec Swift and Solio

In hybrid guise, this motor produces 92PS of power and 118Nm of torque. The naturally aspirated 1.2-litre engine that powers the Swift and many other Maruti cars, on the other hand, produces 83PS and 113Nm. Expect the hybrid motor to best the Swift’s 22kmpl fuel efficiency figure as well

Link

[RavenAvi]

The interior of the upcoming Maruti-Suzuki Solio has been spied by a Motor Octane reader.

Central console-mounted gear lever (possibly AMT?) and a large-sized touchscreen Head Unit (8-inch) can be seen.

Also, a centrally-mounted Speedometer section (integrated into the dashboard) can be seen.

[RavenAvi]

Pics credit Pradip Rotti on WhatsApp.

[thehighwayman]

To each his own, but that is one hideous looking car from Suzuki. Difficult to believe it is designed by the same team that designed the new Dzire

[VeluM]

This looks like the Versa all over again, though with the new Wagon R making this shape relatively more acceptable it might still work for Maruti. Why they'd shoot themselves in the foot with a centrally mounted instrument console is beyond me.

It must be super practical though - its saving grace.

[mooza]

The sliding rear door will make it much easier to get into the 3rd row.

Going by the 3rd row pics on the net, I think it will be good for kids, or a couple of tiny adults at best.

Looks fairly good to me, I always liked the butch looks of the Wagon R.

[AdityaDeane]

A latest spy shot of Suzuki Solio testing in New Delhi has been shared by Rush Lane (Link:- https://www.rushlane.com/front-of-ne...-12272381.html) which shows the front of the Solio. The test mules spotted till now either featured the sides or back of the car. Attaching images as well...









From the 2nd and 4th images I cannot make out any 3rd row in this car, only 2 rows of seats can be noticed. But if Datsun can do, Maruti Suzuki will definitely try and squeeze in a foldable 3rd row, doubling up as extended cargo space, in a tallboy hatchback with size just shy of 4m mark.

And moreover, the side and rear design is in line with the New 2018 Ertiga design as well, giving it a family look.

[jetsetgo08]

I know, it might make the car appear more hideous, but why are they testing without the camouflage? Among all, I would rate the 2nd gen.(2006-10) model as the best looking Wagon R.

[mints21]

Spotted the same car yesterday and today along with two Ciaz and One Swift following it. They also had some kind of numbers starting "G" series pasted on all three sides of each car.









The new car weather Wagon-R or Solio has its instrument cluster in the center. The rear door is sliding and side skirts are on all four sides.

One Ciaz was an automatic which I assume may have been under test with the new CVT, while the other was a diesel one. However both the Ciaz cars were regular and not the face lifted models.