Maruti Suzuki displays Fuel Efficiency of its 12 brands from the New Year

In yet another first mover initiative, India's leading car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India Limited has announced "Fuel Economy Consumer Information" of its full range of 12 brands at the company's dealerships from today onwards.

"The 'voluntary disclosure of fuel economy' is a proactive measure undertaken by the company in customer interest. The fuel economy figures obtained in tests by premier automobile research institutions emphasize Maruti Suzuki's overall leadership in making highly fuel efficient cars. It would enable customers to make an informed choice when purchasing a car in the market¿ said Mr. Shinzo Nakanishi, MD & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited.

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), at its Annual Convention held in New Delhi in September 2008, had announced a Voluntary Labeling Program for all member companies to make a voluntary disclosure of fuel efficiency by end of March 2009. Maruti Suzuki is implementing the program on the first day of the New Year.

Maruti Suzuki has got its complete range of 12 brands tested at the three government approved test agencies: ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India) Pune; VRDE (Vehicles Research and Development Establishment) Ahmednagar and ICAT (International Centre of Automotive Technology) Manesar. The test results are as under:

Model	Company	Segment	Fuel	Certified Km per Litre
M800	Maruti Suzuki	A1	Petrol	16.1
Omni	Maruti Suzuki	C	Petrol	16.9
VERSA	Maruti Suzuki	C	Petrol	12.7
Alto	Maruti Suzuki	A2	Petrol	18.1
Zen Estilo	Maruti Suzuki	A2	Petrol	17.3
Wagon R	Maruti Suzuki	A2	Petrol	17.0
A Star	Maruti Suzuki	A2	Petrol	19.6
Swift Diesel	Maruti Suzuki	A2	Diesel	21.0
Swift Petrol	Maruti Suzuki	A2	Petrol	15.9
Dzire Petrol	Maruti Suzuki	A3	Petrol	15.9
Dzire Diesel	Maruti Suzuki	A3	Diesel	21.0
SX4	Maruti Suzuki	A3	Petrol	15.0
Gypsy	Maruti Suzuki	MUV	Petrol	11.3
Grand Vitara	Maruti Suzuki	MUV	Petrol	11.2

The Fuel Consumption Consumer Information labels displayed alongside the car models in the showrooms would prominently show the test result of fuel efficiency obtained under standard test conditions at the above mentioned test agencies. Maruti Suzuki started the public announcement of fuel efficiency in November 2008, when it announced an extraordinary high fuel efficiency of 19.59 kilometer per litre (petrol), for the A-star. The fuel efficiency for A-star is the highest amongst Maruti Suzuki's own range of petrol cars and could well be the highest in A2 segment petrol cars in the industry. The fuel efficiency of Swift Diesel and Swift Dzire Diesel at 21 kms to a litre of diesel, could also be best amongst the diesel cars in the industry. Keeping a focus on consumer awareness while implementing the voluntary disclosure of fuel economy information across network of over 600 sales outlets in the country, the company has taken a number of initiatives. The company has made an educational Audio Visual film for customers. The film communicates those factors that help in increasing fuel efficiency. The film also explains the test procedures adopted to arrive at the fuel efficiency of a car. At the same time, the company has conducted a comprehensive training programme across country for its 14,000 strong dealer sales force. Through this training, the sales force has been equipped with necessary information that a customer may seek on issues related with fuel efficiency.

About Standard Test Conditions:

The approved agencies conduct tests on all the cars under "standard test conditions". Amongst many parameters, the "standard test conditions" include: 2 persons in the car, AC switched-off; Standard (non-adulterated) fuel; gear changes in a predetermined pattern and at predetermined acceleration levels; standard air pressure in the tyres, wind speed etc. As the "standard test conditions" during tests at the certification agency are identical for all vehicles, irrespective of manufacturer, the customer will able to make correct comparisons of fuel efficiency, across car models.