14 December, 2007 : After having set up the Research & Development facility in India and identifying India as a global export hub, Japanese auto major Suzuki Motor Co. (SMC) is planning to roll out its next ‘world car´ in 2009.

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (MSI) plans to show a concept compact car dubbed A-Star at the auto show in New Delhi in January, 2008. The show will mark a breakthrough for this Indian company which, for the first time, has styled an entire car. The A-Star will form the basis of a global compact car that the parent Suzuki Motor Co. is planning to produce in India. Maruti will likely make about 200,000 such cars annually, starting 2009. About half of these will be exported to Europe.

The new world car is being targets the European market and will be rolled from Maruti Suzuki India’s (MSI) facility at Manesar, as per reports appearing in the press. The new car will be the fifth global model from Suzuki after Swift, Grand Vitara, SX4, and Splash (which is yet to be launched in India).

The ‘world car´ is being jointly developed by MSI and SMC and MSI is already scaling up capacity at its Manesar plant to touch 3 Lakh units by 2010 from its current one lakh in order accommodate the production of the new ‘world car´.

All the cars Maruti sells in India have been almost wholly designed by Suzuki in Japan, with the exception of the Swift, which had a significant contribution from the Indian unit. Suzuki is building a research and development centre in India, the largest after Japan, complete with a test track and crash-testing facilities.

The Suzuki Motor Co. has emphasized the importance of scaling up research and development in India to the level of its Japanese unit. The company chairman during an earlier visit to India in October had announced a further investment of $1.7 billion on R&D and stepping up marketing activities.

The SMC has emphasised close coordination between MSI’s and SMC’s research and development teams so that the former plays an important role in churning out global models. MSI’s new R&D facility spread over 500 acre to be set up at its Manesar facility will also house a vehicle test track.