If you thought SUVs were the only vehicles seeing high demand in the Indian market right now, you'd be mistaken. Even as waiting periods on most cars and SUVs have gradually been reducing over the past few months, some popular models continue to see waiting periods extending up to eight months, or up to a year in some cases. On the other hand, popular MPVs such as the Carens, Ertiga and XL6 are also seeing lengthy waiting periods.
- Kia Carens currently has the longest waiting period among MPVs
- Maruti MPVs have a maximum of six months waiting period
Kia Carens: waiting period
Our dealer sources have revealed that 1.4-litre turbo-petrol variants of the Carens have an average waiting period of five to six months, going up to a maximum of eight months, depending on the trim. Top-end trims such as Prestige Plus and Luxury Plus with the DCT automatic gearbox have been in greater demand, and therefore, also see the highest waiting period.
Anyone looking to buy the diesel variants of the Carens will have to wait for an average of eight to nine months, and for the Luxury Plus AT variant, up to 10 months. This, in fact, is even higher than the Kia Seltos SUV whose diesel variants have a maximum waiting period of up to seven months.
Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, XL6: waiting periods
Meanwhile, Carens' rivals from the Maruti Suzuki stable have relatively shorter waiting periods. For instance, the Ertiga has a maximum waiting period of six months for the top-spec ZXi and ZXi+ automatic variants, but the lower-spec LXi and VXi trims have a waiting period of four to five months. And while the Ertiga does not get a diesel engine option, its CNG variants are demanding a wait of six months.
The Ertiga may not be as premium or well-equipped as the Carens, but it makes up with its fuel efficiency and ease of ownership, while being a fair bit more affordable.
The 6-seater XL6 has the lowest waiting period, going up to a maximum of five months for the higher-spec automatic variants. The manual versions, meanwhile, have three to four months in waiting on average. The XL6 does not have the option of a 7-seat layout, but it is slightly better equipped than the Ertiga and is also equally fuel efficient.
With the semiconductor crisis gradually easing out and production subsequently stepping up, expect waiting periods to go down further in the coming months.
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