Maruti Suzuki is planning to offer customization on its car models according to the specifications of the customers. Although there is a long way to go to implement such a plan, the company states that it is inevitable for the customers to want their vehicles to have the specific features. Thus, it plans to be prepared for such demands and deliver promptly to the customers as per their requirements.
According to Mr. R Dayal, Executive Director in charge of Production Engineering at Maruti Suzuki, the customization process would become a standard procedure in the future. He adds that the company is setting up logistic hubs and is considering options to use them as customization centers. A 120 acre land has been acquired in Bangalore for establishing one of these hubs and others are being planned in Nagpur, Siliguri and Panagarh.
Mr. Dayal also states that the logistics hubs will also enable stocking of the parts and accessories required for the customization process and it wouldn’t be necessary for the dealers to do so. Customizations may concern various auto parts such as steering and wheels and the process would take not more than 24 hours to deliver the desired changes.
The company had been involved in customization process earlier in 2007 when it customized the multipurpose Versa incorporating a partition driver cabin in the car in order to be utilized as a taxi.