Maruti Suzuki
Maruti Suzuki may manufacture vehicles for VW
According to several newspapers, Maruti Suzuki’s managing director cum chief executive Shinzo Nakanishi has revealed that the company he represents may manufacture vehicles for German auto giant Volkswagen. He told the Hindu Business Line “The talks with Volkswagen are going on at a global level and there is still no clear picture. There is a possibility of an OEM (original equipment manufacturing) supply contract with them, like we have with Nissan.”
Maruti Suzuki already has a three-year deal to manufacture and export the European-bound Pixo hatchback for Nissan. At the same time it was confirmed that there was no possibility for platform sharing since Volkswagen’s production and product development costs are substantially larger and that it would negatively affect Maruti Suzuki’s viability. For the record Volkswagen recently acquired a 19.9% stake in Suzuki for US2.5 billion.
2010 Delhi Motor Show: Maruti Suzuki Concept rIII MPV makes its debut
Maruti Suzuki has unveiled the Concept rIII MPV at the 2010 Delhi Motor Show. The MPV concept features a 2+2+2 seating configuration and was designed in India by a team of “young and enthusiastic” designers and I must admit that the concept does look the part. Just like the Vauxhall Meriva, the Concept rIII MPV also features rear suicide doors and looking at how the configuration made it into production with the Meriva, there is possibility of Suzuki Maruti which holds a 50% market share in India retaining it for the production version, if the company decides to do it the first place.
The concept MPV is underpinned by a stretched SX4 platform. If it goes into production there is possibility that it will be offered with engines supplied by Volkswagen since the German auto giant recently purchased a 19.9% stake in Suzuki. Look for an image gallery after the jump. Read the rest of this entry.
