Automobile Blog

Maruti Suzuki makes a splash with three concept cars

Suzuki Motor has showed three cars which will be manufactured only in India, at the Auto Expo being held in New Delhi. These include compact cars A-Star, Splash and the premium concept car ‘Kizashi’.

The company will start making the A-Star from October and aims to sell it in Europe, its Indian unit, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., said in a statement at the Delhi auto show today. Suzuki expects to sell 60,000 units of the Splash in Europe a year and the vehicle will be first produced in Hungary and later in India.

Suzuki and other foreign carmakers, including Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea’s largest carmaker, are expanding capacity to use the country as a global production center for small cars, taking advantage of cheaper labor costs. India’s government in 2006 cut taxes on small hatchbacks to seek investments for export-oriented projects.

Maruti Suzuki has lined up its fifth global car, ‘A-Star’, to be manufactured only in India, besides ‘Splash’ and its D-segment car ‘Kizashi’. It has also displayed the SX4 WRC Rally Car, with which Suzuki Motor Corporation is entering the World Rally Championship for the first time this year.

Addressing media persons, Maruti Suzuki India new Managing Director and CEO, Shinzo Nakanishi, said: “Production of A-Star will begin in India from October this year and then subsequently exported overseas.”

The company also showcased two other concept cars ‘Splash’ and ‘Kazshi’. “Our new plant in Manesar will play an important role in Suzuki Motor Co’s target of selling 3 billion units globally by the financial year 2008-09. Production of A-star will begin here from October,” Mr Shinzo Nakanishi, MD, Maruti Suzuki Ind Ltd said here at the 9th Auto Expo.