Maruti, Gen Motors hike vehicle prices by up to Rs 17,000

Auto majors Maruti Suzuki and General Motors India have increased the prices of various models by up to Rs 17,000 to offset rising input costs and the impact of currency fluctuation.

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) has hiked prices of its vehicles across models, except for entry-level sedan DZire, by between 0.3% and 3.4%.

This translates into a minimum increase of Rs 2,400 on the SX4 sedan and a maximum of Rs 17,000 on the diesel variant of its Swift hatchback. When contacted, a spokesperson of MSI said the price hike is effective from yesterday.

The company had stated it would hike the prices of its models to offset the impact of rising input costs and foreign exchange fluctuation. Before the hike, the SX4 sedan was priced between Rs 7 lakh and Rs 9.11 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), while the Swift diesel was available at prices ranging from Rs 5.27 lakh to Rs 6.47 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for different variants.

The company's best-selling Alto model will also become dearer by Rs 4,000 vis-a-vis the current price tag of between Rs 2.32 lakh and Rs 3.31 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Maruti sells a variety of models, ranging from the M800, which starts at a price of Rs 1.97 lakh, to the top-end Kizashi, which comes with a price tag of Rs 17.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The company has not touched the price of the DZire sedan as it will launch a new version next month. GM India has also increased product prices by between 0.5%  and 1.75% for models including the Spark, Beat, Cruze and Tavera, translating into an increase ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 15,000.