Maruti Suzuki just made this safety feature standard. But it will cost you

Automaker Maruti Suzuki said on Wednesday it will standardize six airbags across its Ertiga and Baleno models, a move that will lead to a modest increase in prices as the company pushes to make advanced safety features the norm across its portfolio.

The price of the Ertiga will rise by 1.4 percent, while the Baleno will see a 0.5 percent increase, with the revised ex-showroom prices effective July 16, the company said in an exchange filing.

The announcement comes as Maruti Suzuki plans to equip all its passenger vehicles with six airbags by the end of 2025. As per reports, Maruti Suzuki currently offers 10 models with six airbags, including the Alto K10, Swift, Dzire and Brezza.

The passenger vehicle market hit a rough patch in June 2025, as three of the country’s largest carmakers - Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor India, and Tata Motors - reported double-digit declines in domestic wholesale sales, highlighting a mix of weak urban demand, high dealer inventories and price sensitivity in the small car segment amid regulatory cost pressures.

Maruti Suzuki posted a 13 percent drop in domestic passenger vehicle dispatches, delivering 118,906 units compared to 137,160 units in the same month last year. The company’s mini-segment cars, including the Alto and S-Presso, saw sales fall to 6,414 units from 9,395, while compact models like the Baleno, Celerio, Dzire, Ignis, Swift, and WagonR declined to 54,177 units from 64,049 units a year earlier. Overall, Maruti Suzuki reported total sales of 167,993 units for June 2025, down from 179,228 units in June 2024.

Utility vehicles, including the Grand Vitara, Brezza, Ertiga, XL6, and Jimny, also saw a dip, with sales falling to 47,947 units from 52,373 units in the year-ago period.

Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer at Maruti Suzuki India, attributed the slump to affordability challenges in the small car segment, even as the broader economy continues to grow.

He said, "The slowdown in PV sales is largely due to a sharp decline in the smaller segment cars. Historically, PV sales used to grow at 1.5 times the GDP growth. But now, even after 6.5% GDP growth, the car market is nearly flat. This is because the once mass small car segment is not participating in the growth at all. This is clearly an affordability issue."

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