Maruti Ciaz receives 5,000 bookings

• Maruti Suzuki opened bookings for its new premium mid-size sedan, the Ciaz on September 3. Dealers say, they have already received 5,000 bookings for the car.

• This can be charted as a good figure for a company that hasn't done too well in the segment. The SX4, launched in 2006, didn't appease customers even after a diesel variant was added in 2011 when the diesel-petrol differential was quite significant. Both the variants were later discontinued due to lacklustre sales. Maruti's previous attempt with the Baleno and the Esteem also didn't garner much momentum in the Indian market, and they were later withdrawn.
• The Ciaz is expected to launch on October 10. The carmaker has already started rolling out the Ciaz sedan since last month at nearly 100 units a day to ensure adequate stock by launch date. The idea, say sources, is for Maruti to have about 10,000 units in stock by mid-October.