Maruti sees decline in sales to European mkt

Country's largest car-maker Maruti Suzuki sees a 20-30 per cent decline in its sales in Europe in 2010.

The country’s largest car-maker,Maruti Suzuki,sees a 20-30 per cent decline in its sales in Europe in 2010 due to the stoppage of scrappage schemes,a top company official said.

“Our sales have declined at least 20-30 per cent in Europe in 2010 due to the cancellation of scrappage schemes. We hope demand will once more pick-up and we will export more cars to Europe. Europe is a good market for us,” Maruti Suzuki’s Managing Director and CEO,Shinzo Nakanishi,told reporters here.

The company has exported 1.2-lakh units to Europe in 2009-2010,Nakanishi said.

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The company has launched a new generation WagonR,priced between Rs 3.38-lakh and Rs 3.97-lakh (ex-showrooom in Mumbai). The new WagonR is developed from the latest platform of the vehicle that is available in Japan. The car is powered by the BS-IV compliant 998cc K-series engine.

“Presently,we have localised the WagonR 80 per cent and we will localise it more in future. This car has been made with the K-series engines,” he said.

“We have already rolled-out more than 3-lakh K-Series engines and the K-Series will play a vital role in Maruti Suzuki’s strategy in consolidating its position in the automobile sector,” Nakanishi said.

Maruti Suzuki now offers two variants of the K-series engines–998cc three-cylinder,K10B fitted in A-star,Estilo,and the new WagonR and a 1.2-litre,four-cylinder K12M petrol engine powering Ritz,Swift and Swift Dzire.