Maruti Suzuki India Limited, India’a largest car maker is taking a cue from the Hero Honda split. It can be recollected that even after so many years, 26 to be exact, the Hero Group largely received hand me down bikes from Honda and hence had little access to their engineering marvel. News has trickled in that Maruti doesn’t want to fall into a similar trap and hence they are developing their own small car, which would be on the Indian roads by 2012.
There wouldn’t be any involvement from Suzuki in this project and it would be Maruti’s brainchild only. Since this would be an entry level offering, it would rival Maruti Suzuki’s own Cervo and also Hyundai’s H800. The Tata Nano would also be a part of the rivalry. The crowd in the entry level market would be on the rise time again. This low cost car would feature the same interiors as seen on the 800cc Maruti Suzuki Alto and there would also be a new 600cc engine developed for use only on this car. It would initially be displayed at the 2012 Auto Expo show and then later on launched in the Indian market within a few months thereafter.
It is unlikely that Maruti Suzuki India Limited would split up into Maruti Udyog and Suzuki India Limited however one cannot rule out the possibility looking at the Hero and Honda split. Initially the new car would be marketed in the Indian region and then after some time, it would be exported to the markets catered by Suzuki. It is highly unlikely that this car would sport the same price tag as the Tata Nano however it is definite that it would be the next in line after the Tata Nano as regards the price quotient.