Maruti Suzuki India is working on the lines of increasing its R&D manpower by over 20 percent, from 1,070 to more than 1,300 people in 2011-12. Currently Maruti Suzuki’s R&D division is working on improving its capability to develop a complete model in India.
Maruti Suzuki India stated in its Annual Report for 2010-11, that the company has plans to increase the number of employees from 1,070 to over 1,300 for its R&D division for the fiscal year 2011-12. The report also stated that the company has hired 102 people in 2010-11 for its R&D division. The company is currently enhancing its engineering skills to design and develop cars which would widely appeal to the Indian customers and would establish Maruti as the R&D hub of its parent company Suzuki Motor Corporation outside Japan. The company is aiming to achieve this by developing the capability to design and develop new products. As stated in the report, the company’s R&D department is capable to carry out minor changes along with co-designing the new models with Suzuki Motor Corporation, but is working towards developing the skills to make full body changes indigenously.