Shinzo Nakanishi (left), managing director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India, and Mayank Pareek, managing executive officer (marketing and sales), in New Delhi on Wednesday. (AFP)

New Delhi, Feb. 2: India’s No. 1 car maker Maruti Suzuki today launched premium sedan Kizashi at an introductory price of around Rs 17 lakh.

Powered by a 2.4-litre petrol engine, the Kizashi will be available in two variants — manual transmission priced at Rs 16.5 lakh and automatic transmission for Rs 17.5 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

“The Kizashi is a major step forward for Maruti Suzuki. With the launch of this sporty sedan, the company is able to offer an international car to top-end customers in India,” Shinzo Nakanishi, managing director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India, told reporters here.

Maruti said the Kizashi will be imported from Japan. After its launch in Japan in late 2009, the Kizashi was introduced in the US. It will attract an import duty of 104 per cent in India.

Maruti opened bookings for the car with an initial deposit of Rs 50,000, and deliveries will begin next month. The car will be available in three colours — snow white pearl, super black pearl and premium silver metallic.

The Kizashi will compete with Honda’s Accord and Toyota’s Camry at the upper end and the Honda Civic, Volkswagen Jetta and Toyota Corolla at the lower end. These cars are priced between Rs 12 lakh and Rs 20 lakh.

Maruti expects the demand for the car to rise only over a period of time. “We are anticipating that this market will grow; there will be demand for such cars,” managing executive officer Mayank Pareek said.

Of the 15 models in the country, Kizashi is the third sedan after the Swift DZire and SX4 from the Maruti stable.