Maruti looks beyond cars,to launch LCV in two years

Way back in 1983,when the then Maruti Udyog Ltd set up shop in India,it had opened countrywide bookings for its Maruti 800 model and the Carry LCV.

While the M 800 received 121,000 bookings,the Carry had only about 2,000. Thereafter,the company decided to drop the plans for launching the LCV.

In the last two years,we have seen a demand for such LCVs growing in India and we think we can offer a superior product in the segment as Suzuki has been doing for years globally, Bhargava said.

He said plans to enter the LCV segment were a part of diversifying its portfolio based on the companys strengths and also in a sense is de-risking business considering the slowdown in the automobile industry in the country.

The LCV will be developed on the platform of parent Suzuki Motor Corporations Carry,a vehicle sold in markets such as China,Indonesia and Pakistan.

The vehicle is likely to be in the same segment as Tata Motors Ace,which is currently the market leader in the segment. Bhargava said MSI has not decided on the name of the LCV,which will available in both CNG and diesel variants.

Our engineers are working on adapting the diesel engine that we have licensed from Fiat to be used in the LCV. This will be a pure goods carrier, he said.