New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki India Ltd on Wednesday announced the launch of the WagonR with an optional swivel seat, marking a move towards making mass-market cars more accessible for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
In a regulatory filing, the country’s largest carmaker said the feature has been introduced as a pilot across 11 cities and will be expanded based on customer response.
The swivel seat, which can be installed as a retrofit kit, is designed to ease ingress and egress for passengers with limited mobility. Maruti Suzuki said the feature does not require replacement of the original OEM seat and can be installed in about an hour at Arena dealerships. The kit is compatible with new WagonR models as well as existing vehicles sold after 2019.
The company has partnered with Bengaluru-based startup TRUEAssist Technology under its startup incubation programme in collaboration with NSRCEL at IIM Bangalore. The swivel seat has undergone safety testing at the Automotive Research Association of India and complies with applicable safety standards.
Maruti Suzuki said the initiative aligns with its focus on inclusive and customer-centric mobility solutions. WagonR remains one of India’s top-selling passenger vehicles, and the company aims to mainstream accessibility by offering the feature across a high-volume model.
The swivel seat comes with a three-year warranty against manufacturing defects, with installation available at over 200 dealersh ips.