The Hindu Business Line : Maruti, Suzuki hope to score with new concept car

Concept plans
The Concept A-Star is for a compact car platform and while retaining elegance and simplicity.
This small car is also the model that Maruti will contract manufacture for Nissan Motor.
Concept A-Star also symbolises the coming of age of Maruti’s R&D efforts.

Our Bureau

Chennai, Nov. 28 The two automobile companies in India that are best poised to leverage their domestic operations as global export hubs are Hyundai Motor and Maruti Suzuki. Hyundai has taken the lead with the newly launched i10 being manufactured exclusively in India for export to other markets, where it will be sold as the Atoz Prime.

But, car market leader Maruti Suzuki is not far behind, and though its exports during the last five years have witnessed a marked fall, a new star from Suzuki is already in the making.

Maruti will unveil a taste of what is to come during the forthcoming Auto Expo 2008. The expo in New Delhi will witness the global launch of a new concept car Concept A-Star, developed jointly by Maruti and Suzuki Motor Corporation.

Compact car platform

A company communiqué said that the Concept A-Star is, in fact, the precursor to Maruti-Suzuki’s global compact car that will be launched in the future.

The proposed global compact car will be manufactured in Maruti’s plant in Manesar for export to Europe.

The Concept A-Star is for a compact car platform and while retaining elegance and simplicity; it is also expected to demonstrate sportiness and emotion in a compact car.

Maruti officials say that the Concept A-Star takes subtle cues from Indian tradition in its outlines, while still retaining a predominantly European character. Being more an expression of futuristic technologies and designs, concept cars often do not become production models.

But in this case, the Concept A-Star will culminate in a production model.

Manufacture for Nissan

When the small car from this A-Star platform finally rolls out from Maruti’s Manesar plant, it would compete with global cars from rival Japanese brands such as Toyota, Honda and Mitsubishi. This small car is also the model that Maruti will contract manufacture for Nissan Motor.

So, of the total production plan of about two-lakh units, while Maruti will manufacture 50,000 units of this new small car for export with the Nissan brand, another 100,000 units will be exported under the Suzuki brand and the remaining 50,000 units will be for sale in the domestic market under a joint Maruti/Suzuki brand.

Maruti and Suzuki are hoping to score an industry first, by choosing the Auto Expo in New Delhi for the global launch of the Concept A-Star car. After being showcased in New Delhi, the concept will be displayed at top global motor shows during the year 2008, confirmed Maruti officials.

R&D coming of age

Concept A-Star is also expected to be significant for Maruti because it could symbolise the coming of age of its research and development capabilities.

Maruti’s R&D team first displayed capabilities in face-lifting existing models, five years ago, including models such as Esteem, Zen and Wagon-R.