Maruti Suzuki To Launch New M800 ‘Uniq’

To strengthen its oldest popular model Maruti 800 (M800), India’s giant car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki is proposing to roll out ‘Maruti 800 Uniq’ in the Indian market.

The new Maruti 800 `Uniq` is an advanced version, which comes equipped with a range of new features including body graphics, all new beige upholstery, trendy door trims with fabric patch, smart lower console box, rear package tray, stylish dome decal to draw young consumers.

Customers have to pay an extra cost of Rs 5,200 on this new car, which is accessible in AC variants only, as compared to its regular M800 AC model of Rs 2,11,176.

The company has already dispatched its new offering nationwide, and will be available in company showrooms from August 4, 2008.

Maruti Suzuki has recently rolled out LPG variant of Maruti 800.

The company is expecting improvement in the sales of M800 with the launch of its new Maruti 800 Uniq.

Maruti Suzuki India Hikes The Price Of Their Cars

Maruti Suzuki India has announced the much anticipated price hike on their car models.

The company had to take this step to offset the rising cost of raw materials which makes it expensive for them to manufacture the cars.

The price hike is variable and range from around Rs. 1000 on Zen Estilo to Rs. 15000 on Maruti Swift Diesel.

They have however avoided raising the price of their Grand Vitara model which is struggling to sell in the Indian market.

They have also stopped selling the Swift DZiRE Diesel model at its introductory price.

Incidentally, the prices of car models were dropped after the budget announcement which gave the company tax benefits on small cars.

Source: http://business.techwhack.com/3747-maruti-price-hike

Maruti Launches Swift DZire For A3 Group

In a bid to strengthen its position in the A3 (sedan) segment, the country’s largest passenger car maker, Maruti Suzuki on Wednesday launched its new entry-level sedan, Swift Dzire. The introductory price at ex-showroom Delhi ranges from Rs 4.49 lakh to Rs 6.7 lakh.

The new offering is the seventh model Maruti Suzuki has introduced in the last 35 months, Shinzo Nakanishi, managing director of Maruti Suzuki India said.

The car comes both in diesel and petrol variants and is powered by the same G-series 1.3 litre engines that earlier powered the Maruti Esteem and at present sits under the bonnet of the Swift Hatchback.

The petrol variant will cost between Rs 4.49 to Rs 5.9 lakh and the diesel between Rs 5.39 to Rs 6.7 lakh.

It is being launched at a time when the company has managed to race past competition in the mid-sized sedan segment (A3) selling nearly 41,000 units in the April-February period of this fiscal.

While continuing to lead India’s small car market, Maruti Suzuki has emerged as the market leader in the A3 segment as well during 2007-08.

The company has sold a total of 41,800 units in the last 11 months (April-February 2008) in the domestic market. This is the highest number of cars for any manufacturer in the A3 segment, according to the recent industry results published by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

With the launch of Maruti’s new car, competition in the lower A3 segment, currently dominated by Mahindra Renault’s Logan and Tata Motors’ Indigo, is expected to hot up.

Tata Motors offers its lowest sedan model Indigo CS between Rs 3.66 lakh and Rs 4.34 lakh, and the Indigo XL going up to Rs 7.38 lakh. Logan petrol version starts at Rs 3.89 lakh and goes up to Rs 5.02 lakh, while that of diesel begins with Rs 5.72 lakh and going up to Rs 6.63 lakh.

Maruti Suzuki Signs Car Terminal Agreement With Mundra Port

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, the Indian subsidiary of Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp, said it has signed an agreement with Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone Ltd (MPSEZL) for a mega car terminal at Mundra, in the western state of Gujarat.

Initially, the company will invest 400 mln rupees while MPSEZL will pump in 600 mln, it said in a regulatory filing.

The new terminal, where cars are parked and loaded onto carrier ships for export, is expected to be operational by December, and Maruti Suzuki will begin shipping from the Mundra Port by January next year.

Chief executive, S Nakanishi, said the initiative will help fill the gap between the company's export ambitions and 'on the ground' infrastructure support.

The country's biggest carmaker exported 50,000 units in fiscal 2007-08, a rise of 28 pct year-on-year, by using the port facilities in Mumbai. It expects to continue shipping from Mumbai as well, keeping in view its increasing export volumes.

At 01.55 pm local time, Maruti Suzuki shares were 2.77 pct lower at 784.80 rupees on the Bombay Stock Exchange, while the benchmark Sensex was 2.14 pct down at 17,689.31.

No Car Below Maruti 800: Maruti Suzuki

Maruti Suzuki India today denied reports of plans to launch a small car with a 660cc engine positioned below the Maruti 800 and priced at Rs 1.5 lakh.

According to a release issued by Maruti to the BSE today, "as announced earlier, the company has no plans to launch a car like the one mentioned in the report. The Project "Under A" mentioned in the report refers perhaps to the "A Under" - the earlier code name for the A-Star model.

"Maruti offered the first People's Car, Maruti 800, about 24 years ago. Since then, India's middle class and Maruti's customers have grown in every facet of their lives. Their incomes have gone up significantly. Their lifestyles have improved in ways that were hard to imagine a decade ago. Within the space of a generation, the "People" who bought "People's Cars" have transformed almost beyond recognition.

"With that, expectations from a car have evolved considerably. Car customers now generally settle for nothing less than contemporary styling, international quality and latest features that enhance their safety and convenience while expecting performance and fuel efficiency like their parents did before them.

"These changing preferences are reflected in the sales data for existing segments in the car market: models and variants that promise only economy and low acquisition cost are increasingly losing out to models and variants that are rich in features and style. The company find this trend holds true across segments including among entry level cars.

"In experience, the company's entry level car customers nurture a high degree of aspiration, both in new cars as well as pre-owned. They want more from their cars in terms of features, performance, safety and versatility.

"Maruti Suzuki has been able to notice and understand this transformation largely due to its close relationship with customers throughout the period of their car ownership.

"Suzuki and Maruti's approach of "World Strategic Models", which includes cars like Swift, SX4 and Grand Vitara, ensures that Indian customers get international quality and style at the same time as customers in markets like Europe and Japan. The success of these cars in the market has endorsed our view, and the company want to pursue this strategy with greater vigour in future.

"In future, the company plans to launch world strategic models like Splash and A-Star as part of the same conscious efforts to offer international quality and design to Indian customers at an attractive price.

"The company's view is that as Indian middle class families move up in life, they should continue to receive a range of cars from Maruti Suzuki that offer superior quality, international design and rich features. That is where its focus will lie.

"Maruti Suzuki reiterates that it has no plans of developing or offering a new car below the Maruti 800."

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/

Geneva Preview: Suzuki To Show A-Star

Suzuki is to show its A-Star city car concept at the Geneva Motor Show in early March.

The A-Star, to be built in India in partnership with local manufacturer Maruti, made its debut recently at the New Delhi Auto Expo. It's a small five-door hatchback with a new 1.0-litre petrol engine which meets the Euro 5 emissions standards and gives carbon dioxide emissions of less than 109g/km. A diesel engine is also under consideration.

Suzuki promises that the A-Star 'will prove that sporty and exciting performance can be enjoyed together with outstanding fuel economy', and from the pictures released so far, it certainly looks the part.

The A-Star, which may not continue with the Alto name, is intended for sale in Europe as well as India and production will start in December 2008. Suzuki will invest ¥200bn into its Indian factories by 2009, increase the Maruti Suzuki facility to 960,000 cars a year by 2010 and expand research and development activity in the country.

Suzuki will also display the Splash mini-MPV, the concept Kizashi and Kizashi 2 prototype family cars, and its 2008-specification SX4 WRC rally car, to make its debut later this month at the Monte Carlo Rally.

Maruti To Beef Up R&D

Maruti Suzuki is planning to treble the number of engineers and designers at its R&D (research and development) centre over the next three years.

The company at present has little less than 300 people in its R&D wing. This will go up to 1,000 in three years, according to company sources.

The move on the R&D front comes even as Maruti Suzuki is gearing to roll out a range of new models such as Swift Sedan, A-Star and Splash in the near term. In the medium-term, it is planning to launch the D-segment car, Kizashi.

The company is also stepping up work in alternative fuel segments like LPG, where it has shown success with WagonR Duo and Omni. “Maruti has an aggressive plan for model launches in the next few years. This will require plenty of design and development work for which we have to step up capability,” a top company official said.

S. Nakanishi, Managing Director, had asserted that Maruti was ready to play a major role in Suzuki’s global operations. It is integrating rapidly with Suzuki’s gameplan of launching world strategic models. In the light of the success of world strategic models like Swift and SX4, Maruti will be launching other Suzuki world models like Splash and A-Star in the next 12-18 months.

The A-Star will be manufactured exclusively by Maruti and exported to Europe and the rest of the world. Suzuki Chairman and CEO, O. Suzuki, had always wanted Maruti’s R&D facilities to be on a par with Suzuki Japan.

Maruti To Roll Out Rs 10-lakh Kizashi In 2010

A number of global car makers may be queuing up to compete in the crowded compact car space with a flurry of launches but the original mini major is looking the other way.

Passenger car market leader Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) is planning to move into the luxury family car market with the Kizashi in 2010.

Kizashi, currently in the concept stage, was first unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2007. It is expected to be the first all-wheel drive sedan in the luxury D segment.

It will carry an advanced four-valve turbo-fired two-litre petrol, Euro V engine, which will also be premiered at the same time. It is also likely to boast the first six-speed transmission from the Suzuki stable. A crossover sports sedan, Kizashi, which depicts an athlete in motion, is likely to sport 21” wheels.

It is expected to roll out of Maruti’s sprawling 500-acre Manesar facility.

The car will be positioned in the Rs-10 lakh-plus price band and will compete with the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Sonata, SkodaAuto Octavia and Volkswagen Jetta besides other cars that will debut in the next three years.

According to industry sources, Maruti engineers have already started working on the Kizashi to take it from the concept stage to the production platform and customise the luxury sedan for rugged Indian conditions.

Maruti To Expand Diesel Line

Delhi’s diesel dilemma does not seem to have dampened the auto industry’s interest in this fuel option. India’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki (MSI) plans to add a new set of engines to its diesel range as part of its long-term growth strategy.

It is moving away from the solitary diesel car maker image and will expand its portfolio beyond the bestselling Swift diesel.

Without outlining any timeline for the new engines, Suzuki Motor Corporation chairman Osamu Suzuki told ET: “Currently, we have the 1.3 litre multijet diesel engine being used only in Swift. We are considering more types of engine that can be introduced as there is a need to expand the diesel portfolio. Some options are being studied for smaller diesel engines.”

The company is expanding its diesel engine capacity from 1 lakh units to 3 lakh units at its Manesar facility. While the 1.3 litre engine used in the premium hatchback Swift will also be strapped on to the new offering Splash, the smaller engines that the company plans to develop at this facility will fire other compact cars. Maruti is studying options for smaller engines from Suzuki Powertrain India. “The possibility of fuel-efficient small diesel engines in future cannot be ruled out. Besides the 1.3 litre diesel engine, an expanded range will help us keep our market share intact,” said an MSI executive.

These small engines are targeted at the European market which is predominantly diesel unlike India where diesel comprises around 25% of the market. For Suzuki’s new world car A-Star — to be manufactured in India and exported mainly to the European market — the Japanese company may consider a diesel option besides the already announced 1.0 litre petrol engine.

“In case, the diesel engine is considered for this car at any point of time in future, Suzuki is open to evaluate various diesel engine options available at that time,” an MSI spokesperson said.

The company also plans to counter the growing breed of smaller diesel engines being launched by other companies like Hyundai Motor India (HMI) and General Motors. Hyundai’s new small car i10 will have a 1.1 litre diesel engine (the smallest in the market) and will soon debut in Europe. General Motors is considering a diesel engine option for its compact model Spark.

Maruti Suzuki Looks At rolling Out 'World Car' From India

Suzuki Motor is looking at launching its next "world car" from India, reports agency sources.

The car is likely to be rolled out from the Maruti Suzuki India's (MSI) facility situated at Manesar. This car is targeted at the European market.

It is believed that, the chairman of the company, Osamu Suzuki will be in India next week and he is also likely to make an announcement on the company's plans for the new global car, sources said.

The new car will be the fifth global model from Suzuki and is being jointly developed by MSI and SMC, sources added.

MSI is increasing the capacity at its Manesar plant to nearly 3 lakh units by 2010; currently it has a capacity of one lakh. The scaling up is done to accommodate the production of the new 'world car'. MSI's new R&D facility spread over 500 acre to be set up at its Manesar facility will also house a vehicle test track.

Source: http://www.myiris.com/

Suzuki To Make Compact, Low-Emissions Hatchback In India Geared For Global Export

Beginning next October, Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corp. plans to make a new compact hatchback in India that will be sold all over the world, the company's chairman said Tuesday.

The plan is part of Suzuki's efforts to make India an export hub. It also is intended to keep Suzuki Motor Corp.'s majority share of the Indian car market as competition mounts in the coming years.

"Our next world car will be made in India," Chairman Osamu Suzuki told reporters in New Delhi. "We are going to commence production after autumn 2008."

The one-liter gasoline engine car will not only comply with the most stringent pollution control rules but also keep carbon emissions lower than those of its European competitors, Suzuki said.

It will come with a "very attractive" price tag, the company said without giving details.

Suzuki holds a controlling 54 percent stake in Maruti Suzuki Ltd., India's largest car maker, which is expanding its factory in the northern Indian town of Manesar to prepare for production.

"In a year or year and half, we would have tripled production at the Manesar plant to 300,000 units," said Jagdish Khattar, managing director at Maruti Suzuki.

About 150,000 units of the new car will be manufactured annually at the Manesar plant, Suzuki said. A third of this will be exported, while the rest will be sold in India, he said.

The new car — code named A-Star — is part of Maruti Suzuki's ongoing efforts to protect its market share in India, which stood at 54 percent last year.

The company plans to invest 200 billion yen (US$1.8 billion, €1.22 billion) between 2007 and 2009 to increase capacity, bring new models and shift manufacturing of more engines to India.

The car is the first model that has involved designers from Maruti Suzuki's research and development division in India from its initial stage of its styling, a company statement said.

Suzuki said the company wants to further strengthen its research and development work in India.

Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/11/business/AS-FIN-COM-India-Suzuki.php

Suzuki Boss Sceptical About 3,000 Dollar Car

Suzuki Motor is taking a cautious view of the race to build a 3,000-dollar car in India, where the Japanese mini-car specialist is the market leader, its chief executive said Wednesday.

India's Tata Motors has previously said it plans to introduce a 3,000-dollar car in its home market next year, while Nissan and Renault are also considering jointly launching a similarly priced vehicle in India by 2010.

But Suzuki chairman and chief executive Osamu Suzuki expressed scepticism about prospects for such a low-priced vehicle.

"Global standards for emissions, environmental protection and also automobile safety are all becoming stricter each year. It's not really clear which standards, in which year, this 3,000-dollar car is aiming to meet.

"For example, will airbags be included? Will there be seatbelts? These are questions that really need to be considered," he told reporters.

"So our fundamental stance is that rather than Suzuki becoming very concerned and watching over its shoulder to see what other people are doing, Suzuki has decided to move forward at its own pace," he said.

Suzuki was an early entrant into the Indian market when the billion-plus nation started opening up its economy in the 1990s following decades of socialist protectionism.

Maruti Suzuki India Limited, majority owned by the Japanese automaker, now has a market share of more than 50 percent in the fast-growing Indian market, but its dominance is being increasingly challenged by global automakers.

"Going forward the idea of our being able to maintain this 55 percent share is something that's going to be very difficult to achieve," said Shinzo Nakanishi, managing director of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.

"We will strive to keep this very large market share. However we do realise that competition is going to be fierce going forward," he said.

Chief executive Suzuki was more optimistic.

"We will forever maintain a 50 percent or more share of the (Indian) market. It all really depends on the product," he said.

Maruti To Hike Prices Across All Models

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, the country's biggest carmaker, will increase prices of its cars across all models by up to Rs 12,000 from next month to offset the rise in input costs and freight charges.

According to dealer sources, the company has cited higher costs of raw materials such as lead and aluminium as well as oil among the reasons for increasing the vehicle prices.

Sources said Maruti has written to its dealers across the country that the prices will be increased from January 2008. Further, the company's production facilities will be shut down for maintenance activities during December 24-31 and the dealers have been asked to plan their bookings accordingly.

Maruti officials declined to comment on the issue.

Sources also said MSIL has told its dealers that the higher prices would be applicable on dispatches of vehicles from the date of announcement of the price hike and there would not be any price protection for pending orders at the company level.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200712071632.htm

Maruti To Hike Prices Across All Models

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, the country's biggest carmaker, will increase prices of its cars across all models by up to Rs 12,000 from next month to offset the rise in input costs and freight charges.

According to dealer sources, the company has cited higher costs of raw materials such as lead and aluminium as well as oil among the reasons for increasing the vehicle prices.

Sources said Maruti has written to its dealers across the country that the prices will be increased from January 2008. Further, the company's production facilities will be shut down for maintenance activities during December 24-31 and the dealers have been asked to plan their bookings accordingly.

Maruti officials declined to comment on the issue.

Sources also said MSIL has told its dealers that the higher prices would be applicable on dispatches of vehicles from the date of announcement of the price hike and there would not be any price protection for pending orders at the company level.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200712071632.htm

Maruti Leads In Customer Satisfaction For 8th Year In A Row

Global consultancy and research firm JD Power Asia has ranked car market leader Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) as the best four-wheeler manufacturer in the country in terms of customer satisfaction for the eighth consecutive year.

MSIL, which scored 838 points on a 1,000 point customer satisfaction index, was far ahead of the industry average of 777 points primarily on account of innovative service offerings like doorstep pickup and delivery of cars for servicing for its lady customers, JD Power said in a statement.

The special service package for lady customers has got JD Power's special mention in this year's survey. MSIL offers the special service across all its 621 dealer workshops covering 1,195 cities.

"The study finds that vehicle pickup and delivery before and after service has a strong impact on customer satisfaction. In particular, customers who say that their vehicle was picked up from their doorstep before service and delivered to the same point after service are notably more delighted with their after-sales service experience," the statement said.

MSIL was followed by Honda with 765 points, Hyundai (745 points) and Toyota (740 points) at second, third and fourth places respectively.

Homegrown carmaker Tata Motors scored nearly 80 points less then the industry average at 690 points to emerge as the ninth company on the index.

"Picking up and delivering vehicles provides greater convenience to customers, who travel an average of nine kilometres each way to reach their authorised service centre," JD Power Asia Pacific Senior Director Mohit Arora said.

JD Power's customer satisfaction index, in its 11th year now, measures the overall satisfaction of vehicle owners who visited their authorised service centre for maintenance or repair work during the first 12 to 18 months of ownership.

The research firm determines customer satisfaction through seven measures -- problems experienced, service quality, user-friendly service, service advisor, service initiation, service delivery, and in-service experience.

"The steady improvement in industry-wide CSI performance during the previous three years reflects the success that many manufacturers have had in enhancing the customer experience at their dealerships," Arora said.

He said the improvement in performance is encouraging, considering the sharp increase in service volumes for most dealer networks.

The study said customers who service their vehicles only at authorised service centres report higher overall service satisfaction, compared with those who also use non-authorised service centres in the past.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

2001 Strike Made Maruti What It Is Today: Khattar

Strange as it may sound but Maruti Suzuki India's outgoing Managing Director Jagdish Khattar gives full credit to a strike at the beginning of this century for success of the company that today controls over half the Indian car market despite presence of the world's who's who.

"The 90-day strike was the turning point...had we given in at that time, we would not have been what we are today," he said ruminating on his 14-year stint that is coming to an end after he refused Chairman O Suzuki's offer for extension.

He, however, was uncomfortable talking about the recent success of the Indian entity overtaking the parent company - Japan's Suzuki Motor Co - in terms of sales for the first half of the year. The feat was reported from Tokyo but Indian executives kept it under wraps for months and did not talk may be because of modesty or the fear of offending their bosses.

"The 2001 strike was one of the toughest periods that I came across in Maruti Suzuki. It was actually the turning point," Khattar said, recounting the pressure (political) he had to face in the company where the government was 50 per cent partner at that time.

The man, who joined the company in 1993 as a marketing director, remembers the "total and unflinching" support he got from Suzuki and said: "If we were to give in to agitators, we would not have been what we are today. Salaries would have shot up, too many manpower and less of efficiencies, cost of production would have escalated and our competitiveness would have been wiped out."

The workers had taken to agitation in 2001 for pay perks and working conditions and a settlement for ending the strike was announced by the then industry minister Manohar Joshi.

"The biggest strength was my own people in the factory, who despite being less in numbers kept the production going," Khattar recalled and admitted that his training as an IAS officer was also of help.

Looking back, he said he has no regrets and was leaving the company as a satisfied man who has done his job. "I am not someone who harps on the past. I have had an eventful tenure in Maruti. I have no regrets and I am leaving as a contented man."

Khattar, who saw the company change from a public-private partnership between India government and Japan's Suzuki Motor Co to a fully privatised entity, said that he was "lucky in many ways to be a part of a change from controlled economy to a liberalised one".

"Not only in Maruti, even when I was with UP Cement Corporation and during my stint in Steel Ministry, I have been a witness to the change," he said, reflecting on the time when he joined Maruti when there was a waiting list for cars and today when companies offer discounts to beat competition.

"Every company has its own strategy and we cannot be reacting to all. We need to focus on our strategy. As far as the Rs one lakh car is concerned, Suzuki has already made it clear it cannot produce a car at that price fulfilling all safety norms," he said.

Despite speculation rife on his future plans, Khattar refuses to disclose and keeps the cards close to his chest. "First I will enjoy the break and think about it (future) later," he quipped.

Maruti Suzuki Domestic Sales Rise 15% In Oct`07

India's top car maker Maruti Suzuki (Q, N,C,F)* India clocked 14.96% rise in domestic vehicle sales at 64,258 vehicles for October 2007 as against 55,894 units sold in October 2006.

In all, the company sold 69,415 vehicles in October 2007. This includes 5,157 units of exports.

Maruti's volume in the domestic A2 segment, which comprises of Alto, Wagon-R, Zen, Swift, went up by 20.9% and in A3 segment, which comprises of Esteem, SX4, volume grew by 54.7% during the October 2007 compared to sales in October 2006.

Recently, the company announced it plans to invest USD 1.8 billion in R&D, marketing and capacity expansion.

Maruti Bags Order For 300 'Versa' From Orix

Maruti Suzuki India's efforts to push sales of multi-purpose vehicle 'Versa' received a boost by way of an order from multinational fleet operator Orix for 300 units, estimated to be worth over Rs 10 crore.

According to sources, Orix had approached Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) for a customised version of Versa, which it intends to run as radio taxis in Delhi.

"The seven-seater vehicle to be delivered to Orix will be called 'Versa OX' and will see changes in the interiors such as seating arrangements with more plush upholstery," a source said.

The order comes at a time when MSI is mulling over bringing in changes to Versa to make it a volume driver.

If the concept of making the Versa more suitable for fleet operators, as it has done for Orix, catches on, MSI may even look at coming out with a completely new version of the vehicle.

When contacted, MSI officials declined to comment.

Versa, which was launched in 2001 dubbed as India's first luxury MPV, has not met with much success by Maruti's own high standards.

The company had even roped in Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan to promote the product. In 2004, it had brought in the five-seater variant of the Versa.

Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blnus/02071507.htm

Maruti To Replace Esteem In 2008

Maruti may say that volumes are important for the company but it has clearly got an eye on margins too.

Sources have told NDTV that Maruti's next model in January will be a C segment sedan based on the Swift.

Maruti's Esteem has been in the market for over a decade now and desperately needs a replacement. This will also be a high volumes product.

Component industry sources indicate volumes in the region of 35,000-55,000 units per year. The car will be made at Maruti's new plant at Manesar. The plant is gearing up for inventory build up in December prior to launch.

Since the car will share the Swift platform, there would be few development costs on the engine front as it is likely to share both diesel and petrol power trains. The car will be priced in Rs 5-6 lakh bracket and this means that the model will help boost Maruti's bottomline.

Sources also confirm that all key suppliers for the project are in place. The new car is likely be exported by March 2008, primarily to Europe to boost the missing sedan link for Suzuki.

It will also take on a segment where sales have been segmented with Hyundai, Tata Motors, Ford and Mahindra Logan. But the company will once again seek market leader status in this class like it has achieved with the SX4 launched a few months ago.

So expect very aggressive pricing and the good news for the Maruti shareholder is that margins will not be impacted, in fact they will get a booster.

Maruti Suzuki Domestic Sales Rise 15% In Oct'07

India's top car maker Maruti Suzuki (Q, N,C,F)* India clocked 14.96% rise in domestic vehicle sales at 64,258 vehicles for October 2007 as against 55,894 units sold in October 2006.

In all, the company sold 69,415 vehicles in October 2007. This includes 5,157 units of exports.

Maruti's volume in the domestic A2 segment, which comprises of Alto, Wagon-R, Zen, Swift, went up by 20.9% and in A3 segment, which comprises of Esteem, SX4, volume grew by 54.7% during the October 2007 compared to sales in October 2006.

Recently, the company announced it plans to invest USD 1.8 billion in R&D, marketing and capacity expansion.

Shares of the company were last trading down Rs 10.65, or 0.99%, at Rs 1,062.90. The total volume of shares traded at the BSE was 128,387 (11.41 a.m., Thursday).