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Maruti plans to invest $1.75 Bn in Research and Marketing
By siliconindia
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Friday, 11 January 2008, 02:42 IST
Gurgaon: India's car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) plans to invest close to $1.75 billion in research and marketing initiatives. This will be in addition to the $2.25 billion outlay to expand its previously announced manufacturing facilities, reported The Times of India.
"We plan to invest around $1.25 billion in setting up an R&D centre in India which will be on par with Suzuki Motor's facility in Japan," said Shinzo Nakanishi, MD, Maruti Suzuki India. For this purpose, the company is in talks with the Haryana government to acquire 400 acres of land near its Manesar plant.
The company will set up display showrooms (where cars will not be sold) and stockyards that would house spare parts. "India will be Suzuki's global hub for the development and production of small cars," said Nakanishi.
The new R&D centre, which will spearhead the design and development of small cars, will also have other testing facilities to carry out research on safety and newer technologies. It will also sport a testing track. The Indian R&D team has already developed a compact concept car, called A Star, which will be unveiled at the Auto Expo in Delhi. The production A-Star will begin by the end of this year.
The head count at Maruti's R&D unit in India is 300. "We plan to double this to 600 by end of the next financial year and then look to triple it," said I V Rao, Executive Director (R&D), Maruti Suzuki.