India Broadband Forum

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Even as the auto industry is struggling to meet its sales target, India's largest auto-manufacturer Maruti Suzuki is all set to excite the market with its latest offering, A-Star, promising a green vehicle with fuel efficiency.

To be launched within a fortnight, the five-door hatchback, equipped with all-new KB series engine, will be rolled out of Maruti Suzuki's Manesar (Gurgaon) plant. The new-generation 998-cc engine offers 67 BHP power and has been designed to meet even future environment norms. Claiming that the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI)'s tests reveal that A-Star delivers an impressive mileage of 19.59 km a litre, Maruti Suzuki's Executive Officer (Marketing and Sales) Mayank Pareek said the new offering would give yet another choice to cost-conscious customers who can now select from a range of as many as seven of their products in the compact car segment.

Denying that A-Star would be pitched against Maruti Suzuki's own small cars, thus hitting its sales, Mr. Pareek said: "In the fast-growing Indian passenger car market, sub-niche are emerging between various segments.

A-Star will be uniquely positioned that will appeal to altogether new customers. Initially, we plan to sell at least 50,000 A-Star in India every year." Though Mr. Pareek refused to disclose the price of the new car that will be available in three variants, A-Star is likely to be priced around Rs. 3.25-4 lakh.

The company has big export plans for A-Star which will be Suzuki's fifth global model. A-Star will be made in 200 variants and exported to 150 nations across Europe, Asia, the Middle-East, Latin America, Africa and Australia. A-Star will fuel parent company Suzuki¿s ambition of re-entering the European market stronger.

The export of A-Star is likely to begin early next year with around one lakh units; and later it will contribute half of Maruti Suzuki's overall export target of 2-lakh units by 2010-11. With A-Star, Maruti Suzuki is starting an all new-initiative of making all its car comply with 'end of life vehicle' (ELV) specifications, making it recyclable up to 95 per cent.

The Hindu

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