GST makes Maruti S-cross more affordable

In line with the adoption of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from July 1, Maruti has revised the pricing for some models in its line-up. Here’s a quick round-up of the new prices.

Hatchbacks*
While prices for the Celerio (Rs 4.03-5.23 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi) and Alto K10 (Rs 3.29-4.15 lakh) remain unchanged, Maruti's other hatchbacks get new price tags. The quantum of difference, however, varies from model to model. For instance, the WagonR (Rs 4.14 – 5.34 lakh) and Alto 800 (Rs 2.49 – 3.76 lakh) reflect a nominal Rs 3,000 increase in ex-showroom prices. On the other hand, the Swift (Rs 4.79-7.46 lakh) and Baleno (Rs 5.26- 8.42 lakh) are cheaper by about Rs 2,000. However, the Maruti Ignis sees a more substantial price cut and now costs between Rs 4.56 lakh and Rs 7.54 lakh.

Sedans
Maruti’s strong-selling new Dzire (Rs 5.42 – 9.39 lakh) sees a marginal Rs 2,000 drop in prices across the range. Maruti’s larger sedan, the Ciaz’s prices have changed too, though interestingly while the petrol version of the sedan is marginally cheaper, the diesel version is significantly more expensive now. The price reduction on the Ciaz petrol (Rs 7.65 – 10.41 lakh) is in the region of Rs 7,000 – 9,000. The diesel model (Rs 9.42 – 11.44 lakh), however, costs from Rs 1.56-1.88 lakh more depending on the variant. What has caused the huge jump in prices is the significant increase in taxes on hybrids. For those who may not know, the Ciaz diesel that uses Suzuki’s SHVS mild hybrid system is classified as a hybrid. As a category, ‘hybrids’ formerly attracted a tax rate of 30.3 percent. Under the new GST structure, hybrids are subject to a total tax of 43 percent. For reference, the Ciaz’s non-hybrid rivals are also taxed at 43 percent now. It will be interesting to see the impact of this sharp rise in the prices on total Ciaz sales.

SUVs and crossovers
The Vitara Brezza (Rs 7.23- 9.69 lakh) sees a negligible change in prices. However, the S-cross is slightly cheaper than before. The S-cross 1.3 (Rs 7.94-10.55 lakh) costs about Rs 8,000 less, though the sole version of the S-cross 1.6, the Alpha’s Rs 11.66 lakh price tag reflects a price reduction of Rs 37,000.

MPV
Prices for the Ertiga petrol (Rs 6.15 – 8.63 lakh) represent a reduction to the tune of Rs 7,000-12,000. However, the Ertiga diesel is a lot pricier than before. Priced at Rs 7.17 – 8.75 lakh, variant for variant, the Ertiga diesel costs a whopping Rs 1.4 – 1.7 lakh more than before. Like the Ciaz diesel, the Ertiga diesel too is classified as a hybrid (it features the SHVS system too) and, hence, falls under a higher tax bracket in the GST tax structure.  

* Prices for Maruti Alto 800, Alto K10 and WagonR in metallic paint