To safeguard its numero uno position in the Indian automobile industry, Maruti Suzuki is gearing up to launch 15-20 new vehicles by the year 2016. Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest car maker will concentrate on low-cost vehicles and is expected to launch 70-80% of its new vehicles in the small car segment, including facelifts and variants.
Out of the array of cars scheduled to be launched by 2016, five are in advanced stages of development. It is expected the company will first launch a sub-4 metre Swift Dzire at the 2012 Auto Expo in Delhi, followed by a multi-purpose vehicle based on the R-III concept, an A Star facelift, Ritz backlift and next generation Alto 800. The company also has plans to invest Rs. 1,000-1,500 crore on product development which includes the company’s upcoming R&D unit at Rohtak. The Rohtak facility is expected to start functioning by first half of 2014 and will help Maruti Suzuki to lower its cost of development.
Opting not to comment on the number of products slated to be launched, Mr. IV Rao, Chief Executive Research and Development of Maruti Suzuki, said that the contribution of the Indian engineers would be significantly higher, as they would be engaged in the model development for India and for global projects. Mr. Rao also added, “With the dynamic market environment in India, where customer expectations and competitive scenario continuously change, we will be in a much better position to react in the future.”
According to Mr. Rakesh Batra, Partner and National Director, Automotive, Ernst & Young, the biggest challenge for Maruti Suzuki is to safeguard its market share, and to do so the company will need to launch vehicles in a short time span, which not only appeal to the customers but also give stiff competition.