With increasing awareness about safety, more entry-level cars are expected to get 6-airbags as standard in the near future
While the government has not made 6-airbags mandatory, many cars have made the switch from two to six airbags as standard. The latest addition is Maruti Celerio that now offers enhanced safety with all variants. Maruti Suzuki has also increased the prices of Celerio in the range of Rs 16,000 to Rs 32,500.
Maruti Celerio – Safety kit enhanced
India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, relies heavily on its entry-level cars and SUVs. This segment is highly price sensitive and even small price hikes can have an impact on sales. Adding more airbags leads to increased pricing, something that can prompt customers to consider other available options. However, as safety is top priority, offering 6-airbags as standard is a logical step forward even for small cars.
Celerio was earlier available with 2-airbags as standard. Excluding the upgrade to 6-airbags, there are no other changes to Celerio’s safety package. Safety features include hill hold assist, ABS with EBD, electronic stability program (ESP), front ventilated disc and headlight levelling. Also, impact-sensing auto door unlock, pedestrian protection, immobilizer, reverse parking assist sensors and speed alert system.
With the safety upgrade to six airbags, it is possible that Maruti Celerio can get better grades in NCAP crash tests. The model tested in 2016 had scored zero in Adult Safety and 1-star in Child Safety. It did not have any airbags or seatbelt pretensioners.
Celerio 6-airbags – New prices
With the introduction of 6-airbags as standard for Celerio, prices have been increased for the hatchback by up to Rs 32,500. Only one variant, ZXi AMT, does not get any price hike. Celerio range now starts at Rs 5.64 lakh for the LXi variant. That’s an increase of Rs 27,500. Next is VXi MT, now available at a starting price of Rs 5.99 lakh. Price of this variant has been increased by Rs 16,000. Celerio VXi AMT will now cost Rs 6.49 lakh. It has become costlier by Rs 21,000. Customers buying VXi CNG MT will have to pay Rs 6.89 lakh. That’s Rs 16,000 more than earlier.
Moving to Celerio’s higher variants, ZXi MT, the new price is Rs 6.39 lakh. Price has been increased by Rs 27,500. The ZXi+ MT also gets a Rs 27,500 price hike and is now available at Rs 6.87 lakh. The top variant, ZXi+ AMT, is now available at Rs 7.37 lakh. It has seen the highest price hike of Rs 32,500.
Celerio is among the lowest selling Maruti cars. In January 2025, it had sales of 1,954 units, contributing 1.13% to overall sales. It will be interesting to see how the introduction of 6-airbags impacts Celerio’s sales numbers. It will reveal whether or not customers are willing to pay slightly more for enhanced safety. As 6-airbags are now standard, there is no option to downgrade. Maruti Celerio competes with the likes of Tata Tiago and Hyundai Grand i10.
