With excise duty cuts in the interim budget announced by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, the price tag trimming has begun with all major manufacturers.
The drop in excise duty is seen a welcome move by the auto companies and prospective buyers as well, apart from our lot too. Not only will the prices of cars see a revision for the better, but bike will also benefit from the changes. Here is the summary of the changes as cited by a leading daily:
- Small Cars, Two-Wheelers and Commercial Vehicles: 8% (-4%)
- Mid-size Cars: 20% (-4%)
- Large Cars: 24% (-3%)
- SUVs: 24% (-6%)
Tha above numbers are encouraging to say the least and have already seen many models see the benefits passed on to the customer from the manufacturer. Here are some of the confirmed changes in prices across all segments:
- Maruti-Suzuki Alto: Rs. 2.9 – 3.4 lakh (-10,000 – 12,000)
- Hyundai Grand i10: Rs 4.4 – 6.6 lakh (-15,000 – 23,000)
- Honda City: Rs 7.5 – 11.1 lakh (-24,000 – 35,500)
- Mahindra XUV500: Rs 10.9 – 14.8 lakh (-34,000 – 42,000)
- Toyota Innova: Rs 9.8 – 15.2 lakh (-50,000 – 76,000)
- Audi A4 2.0 TDI: Rs 29.85 lakh (-72,000)
- Mercedes-Benz E250 CDI: Rs 46.90 lakh (-76,000)
- Mercedes-Benz GL350 CDI 4MATIC: Rs 72 lakh (-2.00 lakh)
- Audi Q5 TDI: Rs 45.72 lakh (-2.22 lakh)
- Audi Q7 TDI: Rs 58.34 lakh (-2.84 lakh)
- Audi Q7 TDI Tech: Rs 78.28 lakh (-3.82 lakh)
Other automakers, including Toyota, Nissan and General Motors, stated that they would follow suit and reduce the prices of their offerings as well.
Things are looking good for new car buyers and the year has only just begun.
