Maruti Suzuki India has announced the launch of the WagonR with an optional swivel seat, marking a move towards improving vehicle accessibility in the mass-market passenger car segment.
The swivel seat has been developed to assist senior citizens and differently-abled persons by making vehicle ingress and egress easier. The solution is being introduced as a pilot project and will initially be offered in select cities.
The swivel seat can be ordered as a retrofit kit through Maruti Suzuki Arena dealerships. It can be installed in new WagonR models or retrofitted in existing WagonR vehicles sold after 2019. Installation does not require any structural modification to the vehicle.
According to the company, the seat rotates outward to help occupants enter and exit the vehicle more comfortably. The installation process takes around one hour. The original OEM seat is retained, and the swivel mechanism is added without replacing the factory-fitted seat.
The swivel seat kit has undergone safety testing at the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and complies with applicable safety standards. It is offered with a three-year warranty, which is provided by the technology partner.
Maruti Suzuki has collaborated with Bengaluru-based startup TRUEAssist Technology Pvt Ltd for the development of the swivel seat. The partnership has been undertaken under the company's startup incubation programme in association with NSRCEL at IIM Bangalore.
The WagonR has been selected for the pilot due to its tall-boy design, which offers higher seating, generous headroom and easier access compared to many other hatchbacks. These characteristics make it suitable for accessibility-focussed modifications.
The swivel seat option will initially be available at more than 200 Arena dealerships across 11 cities. Maruti Suzuki has stated that the availability will be expanded based on customer response.
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