Maruti Maruti Suzuki submitted to:- submitted by:- I owe a great many thanks to a great many people who helped and supported me during the writing of this book. My deepest thanks to Lecturer, Asst. Prof. Shreeja Mam the Guide of the project for guiding and correcting various documents of mine with attention and care. I would also thank my Institution and my faculty members without whom this project would have been a distant reality. I also extend my heartfelt thanks to my family and well wishers. Chaitany Joshi M.B.E Final Introduction.........................................................1 Partner For Joint Venture...................................3 Joint venture related issues...............................7 Industrial Relations.........................................8 Products...........................................................9 Products in Detail............................................10 Competitors......................................................20 Manufacturing..................................................21 Maruti Finance..................................................22 True Value.........................................................23 Exports..............................................................24 Bibliography......................................................25 Maruti Suzuki Maruti Suzuki India Limited ,a partial subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan, is India's largest passenger car company, accounting for over 45% of the domestic car market. The company offers a complete range of cars from entry level Maruti 800 and Alto, to hatchback Ritz, A star, Swift, Wagon-R, Estillo and sedans DZire, SX4 and Sports Utility vehicle Grand Vitara.[3] It was the first company in India to mass-produce and sell more than a million cars. It is largely credited for having brought in an automobile revolution to India. It is the market leader in India and on 17 September 2007, Maruti Udyog Limited was renamed Maruti Suzuki India Limited. The company's headquarters are located in New Delhi. Profile Maruti Suzuki is India and Nepal's number one leading automobile manufacturer and the market leader in the car segment, both in terms of volume of vehicles sold and revenue earned. Until recently, 18.28% of the company was owned by the Indian government, and 54.2% by Suzuki of Japan. The BJP-led government held an initial public offering of 25% of the company in June 2003. As of 10 May 2007, Govt. of India sold its complete share to Indian financial institutions. With this, Govt. of India no longer has stake in Maruti Udyog. Maruti Udyog Limited (MUL) was established in February 1981, though the actual production commenced in 1983 with the Maruti 800, based on theSuzuki Alto kei car which at the time was the only modern car available in India, its only competitors- the Hindustan Ambassador and Premier Padminiwere both around 25 years out of date at that point. Through 2004, Maruti Suzuki has produced over 5 Million vehicles. Maruti Suzukis are sold in India and various several other countries, depending upon export orders. Models similar to Maruti Suzukis (but not manufactured by Maruti Udyog) are sold bySuzuki Motor Corporation and manufactured in Pakistan and other South Asian countries. The company annually exports more than 50,000 cars and has an extremely large domestic market in India selling over 730,000 cars annually. Maruti 800, till 2004, was the India's largest selling compact car ever since it was launched in 1983. More than a million units of this car have been sold worldwide so far. Currently, Maruti Suzuki Alto tops the sales charts and Maruti Suzuki Swift is the largest selling in A2 segment. Due to the large number of Maruti 800s sold in the Indian market, the term "Maruti" is commonly used to refer to this compact car model ("Maruti" is another name of the Hindugod, Hanuman). Maruti Suzuki has been the leader of the Indian car market for over two decades. Its manufacturing facilities are located at two facilities Gurgaon and Manesar south of Delhi. Maruti Suzuki’s Gurgaon facility has an installed capacity of 350,000 units per annum. The Manesar facilities, launched in February 2007 comprise a vehicle assembly plant with a capacity of 100,000 units per year and a Diesel Engine plant with an annual capacity of 100,000 engines and transmissions. Manesar and Gurgaon facilities have a combined capability to produce over 700,000 units annually. More than half the cars sold in India are Maruti Suzuki cars. The company is a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan, which owns 54.2 per cent of Maruti Suzuki. The rest is owned by public and financial institutions. It is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange in India. During 2007-08, Maruti Suzuki sold 764,842 cars, of which 53,024 were exported. In all, over six million Maruti Suzuki cars are on Indian roads since the first car was rolled out on 14 December 1983. Maruti Suzuki offers 13 models, Maruti 800, Alto, WagonR, Estilo, A-star, Ritz, Swift, Swift DZire, SX4, Omni, Eeco, Gypsy, Grand Vitara. Swift, Swift DZire, A-star and SX4 are manufactured in Manesar, Grand Vitara is imported from Japan as a completely built unit (CBU), remaining all models are manufactured in Maruti Suzuki's Gurgaon Plant. Suzuki Motor Corporation, the parent company, is a global leader in mini and compact cars for three decades. Suzuki’s technical superiority lies in its ability to pack power and performance into a compact, lightweight engine that is clean and fuel efficient. Nearly 75,000 people are employed directly by Maruti Suzuki and its partners. It has been rated first in customer satisfaction among all car makers in India from 1999 to 2009 by J D Power Asia Pacific. Partner for the joint venture Sanjay Gandhi owned the Maruti Technical Services Limited, which ran into trouble and was liquidated. After the death of Sanjay Gandhi, the Indira Gandhi government assigned a delegation of Indian technocrats to hunt for a collaborator for the project. Initial rounds of discussion were held with the giants of theautomobile industry in Japan including Toyota, Nissan and Honda. Suzuki Motor Corporation was at that time a small player in the four wheeler automobile sector and had major share in the two wheeler segment. Suzuki's bid was considered negligible. While the major companies were personally represented in the initial rounds of discussion, Osamu Suzuki, Chairman and CEO of the company ensured that he was present in all the rounds of discussion. Osamu in an article writes that it subtly massaged their (Indian delegation's) egos and also convinced them about the sincerity of Suzuki's bid. Suzuki in return received a lot of help from the government in such matters as import clearances for manufacturing equipment (against the wishes of the Indian machine tool industry then and its own socialistic ideology), land purchase at government prices for setting up the factory Gurgaon and reduced or removal of excise tariffs. This ensured that Suzuki conscientiously nursed Maruti Suzuki through its infancy to become one of its flagship ventures. Joint venture related issues Relationship between the Government of India, under the United Front (India) coalition and Suzuki Motor Corporation over the joint venture was a point of heated debate in the Indian media till Suzuki Motor Corporation gained the controlling stake. This highly profitable joint venture that had a near monopolistic trade in the Indian automobile market and the nature of the partnership built up till then was the underlying reason for most issues. The success of the joint venture led Suzuki to increase its equity from 26% to 40% in 1987, and further to 50% in 1992. In 1982 both the venture partners had entered into an agreement to nominate their candidate for the post of Managing Director and every Managing Director will have a tenure of five years[7] Initially R.C.Bhargava, was the managing director of the company since the inception of the joint venture. Till today he is regarded as instrumental for the success of Maruti Suzuki. Joining in 1982 he held several key positions in the company before heading the company as Managing Director. Currently he is on the Board of Directors.[8] After completing his five year tenure, Mr. Bhargava later assumed the office of Part-Time Chairman. The Government nominated Mr. S.S.L.N. Bhaskarudu as the Managing Director on 27 August 1997. Mr. Bhaskarudu had joined Maruti Suzuki in 1983 after spending 21 years in the Public sector undertaking Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited as General Manager. Later in 1987 he was promoted as Chief General Manager, 1988 as Director, Productions and Projects, 1989 Director, Materials and in 1993 as Joint Managing Director. Suzuki Motor Corporation didn't attend the Annual General Meeting of the Board with the reason of it being called on a short notice.[9] Later Suzuki Motor Corporation went on record to state that Mr. Bhaskarudu was "incompetent" and wanted someone else. However, the Ministry of Industries,Government of India refuted the charges. Media stated from the Maruti Suzuki sources that Bhaskarudu was interested to indigenise most of components for the models including gear boxes especially for Maruti 800. Suzuki also felt that Bhaskarudu was a proxy for the Government and would not let it increase its stake in the venture.[10] If Maruti Suzuki would have been able to indigenise gear boxes then Maruti Suzuki would have been able to manufacture all the models without the technical assistance from Suzuki. Till today the issue of localization of gear boxes is highlighted in the press.[11] The relation strained when Suzuki Motor Corporation moved to Delhi High Court to bring a stay order against the appointment of Mr. Bhaskarudu. The issue was resolved in an out-of-court settlement and both the parties agreed that R S S L N Bhaskarudu would serve up to 31 December 1999, and from 1 January 2000, Jagdish Khattar, Executive Director of Maruti Udyog Limited would assume charges as the Managing Director.[12] Many politicians believed, and had stated in parliament that the Suzuki Motor Corporation is unwilling to localize manufacturing and reduce imports. This remains true, even today the gear boxes are still imported from Japan and are assembled at the Gurgaon facility. Industrial relations For most of its history, Maruti Udyog Limited had relatively few problems with its labour force. Its emphasis of a Japanese work culture and the modern manufacturing process, first instituted in Japan in the 1970s, was accepted by the workforce of the company without any difficulty. But with the change in management in 1997, when it became predominantly government controlled for a while, and the conflict between the United Front Government and Suzuki may have been the cause of unrest among employees. A major row broke out in September 2000 when employees of Maruti Udyog Ltd (MUL) went on an indefinite strike, demanding among other things, revision of the incentive scheme offered and implementation of a pension scheme. Employees struck work for six hours in October 2000, irked over the suspension of nine employees, going on a six-hour tools-down strike at its Gurgaon plant, demanding revision of the incentive-linked pay and threatened to fast to death if the suspended employees were not reinstated. About this time, the NDA government, following a disinvestments policy, proposed to sell part of its stake in Maruti Suzuki in a public offering. The Staff union opposed this sell-off plan on the grounds that the company will lose a major business advantage of being subsidised by the Government. The standoff with the management continued to December with a proposal by the management to end the two-month long agitation rejected with a demand for reinstatement of 92 dismissed workers, with four MUL employees going on a fast-unto-death. In December the company's shareholders met in New Delhi in an AGM that lasted 30 minutes. At the same time around 1500 plant workers from the MUL's Gurgaon facility were agitating outside the company's corporate office demanding commencement of production linked incentives, a better pension scheme and other benefits. The management has refused to pass on the benefits citing increased competition and lower margins. Manufactured locally 1. 800 (Launched 1983) 2. Omni (Launched 1984) 3. Gypsy (Launched 1985) 4. WagonR (Launched 2002) 5. Alto (Launched 2000) 6. Swift (Launched 2005) 7. Estilo (Launched 2009) 8. SX4 (Launched 2007) 9. Swift DZire (Launched 2008) 10. A-star (Launched 2008) 11. Ritz (Launched 2009) 12. Eeco (Launched 2010) 13. Alto K10(Launched 2010) Imported Suzuki Grand Vitara 1. Grand Vitara (Launched 2007) 2. Kizashi (Launched 2011) Discontinued car models 1. 1000 (1990–1994) 2. Zen (1993–2006) 3. Esteem (1994–2008) 4. Baleno (1999–2007) 5. Zen Estilo (2006–2009) 6. Versa (2001–2010) 7. Grand Vitara XL7 (2003–2007) Maruti 800 Maruti 800 is a city car manufactured by Maruti Suzuki in India. It is a rebadged version of an old model of the Suzuki Alto. Over 2.5 million Maruti 800's have been sold since its launch in 1984. The same car is sold in Pakistan as the Suzuki Mehran with a much older 1980s era Suzuki SS80 carburetor based engine Suzuki Alto The Suzuki Alto is a small car (kei car) designed by Suzuki. Its selling points include low price and good fuel economy. The model was introduced in 1979 and has been built in many countries worldwide. Maruti Alto The Maruti Alto is the Indian-built version of the fifth generation Alto, manufactured by Maruti Suzuki. It was launched in the local Indian market on September 27, 2000[12] although the Alto nameplate was very successfully being used to export the Maruti Zen to Europe from India since around 1994[13] having captured over 40% market share in Belgium and 33% in Netherlands by 1998.[14] It is the best-selling hatchback in India[12]. Since 2006, It is India's largest selling car[15] and crossed the 1 million production figure in February 2008 becoming the 3rd Maruti model to cross the million mark in India after Maruti 800 and Maruti Omni and 4th overall joining Hyundai Santro.[16] Besides being exported to Europe from 1994–2004, it has also been exported to several other countries. Maruti Omni The Maruti Omni is a microvan manufactured by Indian automaker Maruti Suzuki. The first version of Maruti Omni had 796 cc engine, same as theMaruti 800 city car. This was the second vehicle to be launched by Maruti, one year after the 800, in 1984. Later version of the Omni includes the: · Omni (E), released in 1996, 796 cc engine, 8 seater capacity vehicle · Omni XL - 1999, same engine, modified with a higher roof. · Omni Cargo LPG - 2004, created to answer the growing popularity of this car being used as an inter-city cargo vehicle.[15] · Omni LPG - 2003, same 796 cc engine, added with a factory fitted LPG Kit, authorised by the Indian RTOs (Regional Transport Offices). This makes it the most economic 4 wheeler in India, as far as the driving costs are concerned. · Omni Ambulance - A Modified E version into an ambulance vehicle. This is the most common type of ambulances found in Indian cities. The Omni could be divided into two categories: the family version and the cargo version. The newer family version has two extra seats directly behind the front seating and facing away towards the rear of the van making it an eight seater. (Older versions was modified by individual owners to add additional capacity this way). The cargo version is completely devoid of back seats. Both versions have sliding back doors and hatchbacks.[16] The Omni is also unique in a way that it uses a front mid engine rear wheel drive layout, as it helps in maximizing cabin and cargo space and providing maximum traction. Maruti Gypsy The Maruti Gypsy is a four wheel drive SUV based on the long wheelbase Suzuki Jimny SJ40/410 series vehicles. It was introduced in the Indian market in December 1985 with the 970 cc F10A Suzuki engine and while sales were never very high it became very popular with law enforcement. It was codenamed MG410, which stood for "Maruti Gypsy 4 cylinder 1.0 litre engine". Initially, it was only available as a soft-top; but a bolt on hardtop was later introduced to the public after the aftermarket hardtops became popular. It instantly replaced Premier Padmini as the quintessential Indian rally car due to its performance, reliability, tunability and the go-anywhere capability.[1] The carburetted F10A engine made 45 bhp (34 kW; 46 PS) and was mated to a 4 speed gearbox. The 4WD transfer case had 2 speeds. It had a freewheeling mechanism[2] on the front axles made by Aisin to unlock the front axles from the hub when 4WD is not used; It reduced rolling resistance, thereby improving fuel efficiency. However, many owners of the Gypsy who constantly complained about the poor fuel consumption never knew about this novel feature. The two major complaints of the vehicle in the civilian market were poor fuel consumption and poor ride quality especially in the rear seats. The suspension was indeed harsh with live axles and leaf springs all around. It features almost no creature comforts, like power-windows and power-assisted steering. In July 1993, Maruti introduced the "widetrack Gypsy" codenamed MG410W replacing the MG410. Both front and rear track of the wheels are increased by 90mm (from 1,210 mm (47.6 in) to 1,300 mm (51.2 in) for front wheels and from 1,220 mm (48.0 in) to 1,310 mm (51.6 in) for rear wheels) and these Gypsys are instantly recognizable by the pronounced painted fender flares. This is to mitigate aninternational allegation that Suzuki SUVs are very susceptible to rollover. Maruti eliminated the Aisin freewheeling hub on this model since it was sparingly used by MG410 owners. In April 1995, a catalytic converter was fitted to the Gypsys sold in the metro cities to comply with newly introduced emission standards. In June 1996, Maruti added the engine from the Esteem. The new engine was the all aluminium 8-valve G13BA engine displacing 1.3L and made a respectable 65 bhp (48 kW; 66 PS). This engine was carburetted unlike the US market G13BA engine. It was mated to a new 5-speed gearbox. It was codenamed MG413W and called the Gypsy King. The F10A-engined regular Gypsy continued in production until 2000 at least. The visual differences of the Gypsy King compared to the MG410W are the pronounced bulge on the hood and a completely different grille design with horizontal slats à la the 1.3L Suzuki Jimny/Samurai JA51.[3] Front seats received head restraints and fabric upholstery. In March 2000, Maruti introduced the 16-Valve MPFI G13BB engine and power was increased to 80 bhp (60 kW; 81 PS). The MPFI Gypsy King received a brake booster as well.[4] The Gypsy was exported to countries like Chile and Kenya. Within Europe, it is most often found in Malta(the whole island is just 2 maruti gypsies and 3 goest) and Hungary (there are just real ones). In contrast to Suzuki Jimny, the Gypsy is available either with 4 bucket seats or rear bench seats and a sizable trunk. Currently, the Gypsy is available as a "soft top", "hard top" and as an "ambulancecar". In India, it is widely used by the police and defense forces. In fact, the MG413W model is now the mainstay of the Indian Army. In civilian use, the Gypsy is a popular choice as a low-cost SUV and is a common sight at rally and autocross events. As quoted by Autocar India, "There is nothing that can touch a Gypsy off the road, except perhaps an Arjun battle tank.The trouble is that everything else does better on the road - the ride from the archaic leaf springs all round is horribly bumpy and the interiors are utilitarian as well. Gypsy in a loaded condition (>200 kg load) is more comfortable. And available with only two doors, its inconvenient too." The price of a new Maruti Gypsy, if purchased in India, is US $12,500 (5,00,000 INR in 2008). As a 4x4 at this price point, its only Indian competitors are sold by Mahindra and Force Motors. The petrol engine in the Gypsy is also much more refined than the diesel mills used in the cars from the two aforementioned companies. As of 2010, the Gypsy is only available against an order with an advance payment and a waiting period of over 3 months. This has led to the creation of a strong market for used Maruti Gypsys. Suzuki Wagon R The Suzuki Wagon R is a kei car first introduced in Japan in 1993, and is still in production by Suzuki. The R stands for Recreation. It is one of the first cars to use the "tall wagon or tall boy" design in which the car is designed to be unusually tall with a short bonnet and almost vertical hatchbackand sides in order to maximise cabin space while staying within the kei car dimension restrictions. The Wagon R has been the best-selling kei car in Japan since 2003;[1] and in 2008, Suzuki expected to produce its three-millionth Wagon R.[2] It has been a profitable car for Suzuki even in the International market, mainly since introducing the car in India In India, Suzuki has launched Wagon R as a joint venture with Maruti and the car is known as Maruti Suzuki Wagon R. Maruti Suzuki has launched six variants of Wagon R in the Indian auto market. Four of its variants are powered by the company's well known K series engine. This K series petrol engine is endowed with 5 speed manual transmission gearbox that helps to perform the engine very smartly without any vibrations even at high speed. The aluminum KB10 engine of Maruti is very light and produces a power of 68 PS (50 kW; 67 hp) at 6200 rpm and a torque of 90 N·m (66 lb·ft) at 3200 rpm. This powerful engine of Maruti Wagon R is very fuel efficient and the manual transmission gearbox is also a very good performer and offers an impressive mileage of 14.4 kmpl in the city roads and 19.3 kmpl on the highways. Rest two variants of Maruti Wagon R are powered by the Maruti F10D 1061 cc four cylinder, sixteen valve, multipoint fuel-injected engine producing 64 bhp (47.7 kW) at 6200 rpm and 84 newton-metres (62 ft·lbf) of torque at 3500 rpm. These two variants come with company fitted LPG kit. Suzuki Swift The Suzuki Swift is a subcompact car produced by Suzuki in Japan since 2000. Prior to this, the "Swift" nameplate had been applied to the Suzuki Cultus in export markets such as Australasia, Europe, North America. In India, Suzuki has launched Swift as a joint venture with Maruti and the car is known as Maruti Suzuki Swift. In the Indian auto market Swift is available with seven variants four with petrol and three with diesel engine option. The petrol version of Maruti Swift is powered by 1.2-litre K-series engine (with a 1.3-litre petrol engine available utill 2008). Maruti Swift is endowed with five-speed manual transmission. However, the diesel version of Maruti Swift is packed with 1.3-litre, DDiS engine with a displacement of 1,248 cc. The 1.3-litre diesel engine is fitted with a turbocharger and intercooler combination and is endowed with a five-step multi injection common rail system. · 1,197cc 16V DOHC petrol engine, rated at 63 kW (85 bhp) and 113 newton metres (83 lb·ft). · 1,248cc 16V DOHC diesel engine, rated at 56 kW (75 bhp) and 190 newton metres (140 lb·ft). Swift Dzire Suzuki introduced a sedan based version of the Swift called the "Maruti Swift Dzire" in the Indian market. Launched on March 26, 2008, Swift DZire replaces Maruti Suzuki’s popular entry level sedan, Maruti Suzuki Esteem, production of which was discontinued in late 2007. Maruti Suzuki has introduced Swift DZire only in the Indian market. The Dzire has exactly the same wheelbase as the hatchback version and has an increased overall length due to the addition of the boot. It shares the same 1.3-litre engine from the hatchback. Swift DZire is a result of an indigenous project started in 2005 to design a three-box notchback version of the Swift hatchback. Some changes have been made to the car’s overall styling to seamlessly integrate the boot. The wheelbase remains the same. The car weighs about 30–35 kilograms (66–77 lb) more than the hatchback. Few modifications in the rear suspension have been done to cope with the additional weight of the boot and improve the ride quality for the rear passengers. Adjustments in the rear seat inclination have been made to improve the rear seat comfort and legroom. Suzuki MR Wagon The Suzuki MR Wagon is a kei car with a mini MPV body, seating four, manufactured by Suzuki for the Japanese market only, and also marketed in Japan by Nissan as the Nissan Moco under an OEM agreement. The model debuted in 2001, and since 2007 it has been in its second generation. It was launched in India by Maruti Suzuki as Maruti Zen Estilo in 2006, Maruti Zen Estilo was discontinued in 2009 and renamed as Maruti Estilo. The vehicle's name is somewhat misleading, as it does not sport a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout (which is often abbreviated as RMR, or more commonly, MR). The model's second generation was previewed at the 39th Tokyo Motor Show in 2005, where a concept calledMom's Personal Wagon was presented, with many features intended to be useful for a mother driving her children, including food trays, a front bench seat and pillarless suicide doors on the left side (which is the curb side in Japan). None of those would eventually make it to the actual MR Wagon, which went on sale on January 20 (Moco on February 1) the following year, while on the other hand the model features the newkeyless entry and start system. The engine, drive and shifter choice remained the same, with the same availability in both Nissan and Suzuki versions, but the gear shifter is now located on the instrument panel. As with the first generation, the cars are almost identical in outside appearance, but have different front end designs. Suzuki SX4 The Suzuki SX4 is a compact car developed by Japanese automakers Suzuki and sold by Suzuki (as the SX4) and by Fiat (as the Sedici) and produced since 2006. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign studio, the SX4 (an abbreviation of "Sports X-over 4 all seasons ") replaces the Aerio (some markets called Liana). The "SX 4" designation was used by American Motors (AMC) for a sporty liftback model in its all-wheel drive AMC Eagle passenger cars.[3] Although originally intended solely for the European market, the SX4 is sold in most of Suzuki's international markets. It was introduced at the 2006Geneva Motor Show and is manufactured at the Magyar Suzuki plant in Esztergom, Hungary, Japan, and Manesar, India. An expected 60,000 units will be produced — 2/3 to be sold by Suzuki and 1/3 by Fiat, badged as the Sedici. SX4 Crossover is also sold in Indonesia since 2007. Earlier models were directly imported from Japan (Completely Built-up/CBU), however locally-assembled version were later introduced to meet the higher-than-expected market demand. Base engines are the 1.5-litre gasoline unit identical to the one used in the Swift, 1.6-litre gasoline (with VVT) with maximum output of 102 PS (which powers Suzuki SX4 Sedan sold in India by Maruti), the new 1.6-litre VVT seen in the new Grand Vitara and a 107 PS (79 kW), 1.6-litre DDIS — along with the Fiat diesel engine with a maximum output of 120 PS (88 kW) and maximum torque of 280 N·m (207 ft·lbf). The SX4 was initially released as a five-door hatchback body style, marketed as the SX4 Crossover. With boot space of 300 litres (270 litres VDA]) and 60:40 split fold rear seats, they have a tumble/roll configuration that allows for an uninterrupted flat load area up to a maximum volume of 1,045 litres (625 litres VDA).[4] The Sedan model, marketed as the SX4 Sport, debuted at the 2007 New York Auto Show and has been released in Japan, India, and a few Eastern European markets. It replaced the Suzuki Aerio sedan and also the Daewoo-based Suzuki Forenza sedan and station wagon.[5] 2007 The North American-market model arrived in 2006 as a 2007 model year as Suzuki's entry-level AWDvehicle. Differences from the European model are the offering of AWD as standard (2WD Version available in Canada, Europe, Israel and China while AWD is optional in Canada) and a single 2.0 L J20B 143 hp (107 kW) inline-4 gasoline engine. In 2007 Suzuki Auto posted the best year-end close in company history, with SX4 sales a primary contributor to this success.[6] 2008 The U.S. base price (model year 2008) for the 5-door hatchback (marketed in the US as the SX4 Crossover) included "intelligent" All Wheel Drive (iAWD), power door locks, power windows, power mirrors, CD player with MP3 capability, and keyless entry. Available were anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control, fog lights, and an advanced key in a Touring package starting at MSRP US $16,870. 2009 The 2009 model year saw SX4 sedans with standard GPS navigation systems manufactured by Garmin with Bluetooth, weather, and a gas station locator.[7] The U.S.-market SX4 sedan (marketed as the SX4 Sport) is only available in front-wheel drive(FWD). Except for the absence of iAWD, the option packages for the SX4 Sport closely matched those available for the SX4 Crossover. Both the 1.6 litre FWD hatchback[8] and 1.6 litre FWD sedan models[9] which available in Israel (4-speed automatic only) and Malaysia, are fully imported from Japan. In Indonesia, only two-wheel drive version with 1.5-litre engine is offered. Both two-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions of the SX4 are available, although not all combinations of drivetrain and body style may be available in a given market (for instance, until the latter part of the 2008 model year, the U.S.-market SX4 Crossover was only available with iAWD). The AWD models use an electronically controlled iAWD 3-mode four wheel drive system, user-selectable between front wheel drive 2WD mode, automatic AWD AUTO mode, and AWD LOCK 50:50 split permanent AWD LOCK mode which can only be used up to 64 km/h (40 mph), after that it switches to AWD AUTO mode. 2010 For the 2010 model year, SX4 five-door hatchback is available with a 1.6-litre DOHC VVT petrol engine, 2.0-litre DOHC engine and 2.0 litre DDiS engine (16 valve, 135 PS (99 kW; 133 hp) & 320 N·m (240 lb·ft) torque) on the AWD version. The 1.6 litre DOHC VVT engine revised to the new CO2 emission control standards Euro 5 regulations. The engine gets also performance increase (from 107 to 120 bhp). (The US-market 2.0 litre engine from 143 to 150 bhp) and lower fuel consumption. The car is offered either a six-speed manual, 4-speed automatic transmission for 1.6 litre engine cars, or CVT automatic transmission with paddle shifters for 2.0 litre I4 engine cars. The 2010 model also gets front (ventilated) and rear (solid) disc brakes, 6 airbags (front, side and curtain), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), and Electronic Stability Program (ESP), optional in 1.6 litre models. The 2010-model SX4 saw changes to the grille, taillights, instrument cluster, climate controls, and door trim, as well as a restructured cargo hold, and non-fleet all-wheel-drive models add new rear skid plates. A new SportBack model offers a lowered sport-tuned suspension, body kit, rear spoiler, and also removes the roof rack found on the normal crossover SX4. The 2010 SportBacks include additional standard features.[10] A red 2010 SX4 SportBack is used by Top Gear USA in its variant of Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car, called "Big Star in a Small Car Suzuki Splash The Suzuki Splash is a city car introduced in model year 2008 and jointly developed between Suzuki Motor Corporation and Opel — which will also market their version as the Agila. It debuted as a concept car at the 2006 Paris Auto Show and the production model debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show. The Splash is slotted below the Swift in the lineup, and uses a shortened wheelbase version of its chassis. The car was launched with two petrol engines, a 3 cylinder 1.0 litre and 4 cylinder 1.2 litre Family 0, and a 4 cylinder version of Fiat's MultiJet diesel engine. Unlike its predecessor, the Wagon R+, the Splash has five seats as standard. It was introduced to the Japanese market on 20 October 2008, available as Splash 1.2 for ¥1,239,000. Maruti Suzuki released the Splash in India asMaruti Suzuki Ritz. In China, it will be released by Changhe Suzuki towards the end of 2010 Grand Vitara The Suzuki Escudo (known as Sidekick in North America, Vitara in most of Western Europe, Bolivia, Ecuador, the Philippines, as well as North America after 1999 and the Grand Vitara in the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, parts of South Asia and Australia) is an off-road vehicle that has been in production since 1988. The North American version was produced as a joint venture between Suzuki and General Motors known as CAMI. The vehicle was a follow-up to the popular SJ413 and Samurai. Also, this vehicle, while sold in North America, was designed to slot above the Samurai. A larger version is also made, known as the Suzuki Grand Escudo (known as Grand Vitara XL-7 in other markets). The Sidekick was sold in various badges such as the Geo Tracker (Chevrolet Tracker after 1998) in the United States, and as the GMC Tracker,Chevrolet Tracker, Asüna Sunrunner and Pontiac Sunrunner in Canada. It was also sold as the Santana 300 and 350 in Spain. In the Japanese home market, it was variously sold also with Mazda badge. The 1st Generation Escudo was sold in Mexico as the Geo Tracker (Just Soft Top) 1994–1995 (Produced in Canada). The 1st Generation rebadged as Chevrolet Tracker (Soft Top and 4 Doors, 2WD, 4WD, AUTOMATIC AND MANUAL) 1998–1999 (Produced in Canada) The 2nd Generation was sold in Mexico (Soft Top, 4 Doors, 2wd, 4wd, AUTOMATIC and MANUAL, L4 AND V6) 2000–2004 (Produced in Canada). When the Chevrolet Tracker was discontinued in North America (Equinox replaced) GM Mexico and Brazil import from Argentina the Suzuki Grand Vitara rebadged as Chevrolet Tracker (Produced by GM Argentina) in Mexico just 2wd and Automatic, but in Brazil 2wd and 4wd options, and in South American countries (Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela) was sold Suzuki Grand Vitara rebadged as Chevrolet Vitara (1st Generation) and Chevrolet Grand Vitara (2do Generation) produced by GM Ecuador.while in Argentina (Produced in Argentina), Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay is sold as the Suzuki Grand Vitara (Produced in Japan). In Chile was sold as Suzuki Nomade. Suzuki Kizashi The Suzuki Kizashi (キザシ) is a mid-size car, unveiled in the United States on July 30, 2009.[3] The Kizashi went on sale in Japan on October 21, 2009,[1] in North America on December 1, 2009, and in Australia and New Zealand on May 11, 2010.[4] The Kizashi is the first mid-size Suzuki automobile sold in the Australian market.[5] Kizashi was launched in India on 2 February 2011. Kizashi is a Japanese word which means "omen", "sign", or "warning", so it is possible Suzuki means to suggest to other automobile manufacturers that its Kizashi is an example of Suzuki's future products. The Kizashi aspires to be Suzuki's flagship sedan and currently exceeds Japanese government regulations concerning exterior dimensions and engine displacement for cars classified as "compact". In India, in collaboration with India’s largest passenger car manufacturer Maruti, Suzuki launched the car as the Maruti Kizashi on 2 February 2011. It was expected to be a CBU (Completely Built Unit), so heavy import duties may push its prices to a higher point than originally intended. The Maruti Kizashi is priced at around 1.6 to 1.75 million Indian rupees (46 INR = $1).[7] This model has a J24B 2.4 petrol engine with 4 cylinder 16 valves DOHC. The 2400cc engine is capable of producing 185 hp of peak power at 6,500 rpm (manual transmission) and 180 hp at 6,000 rpm (CVT). It churns 170 Nm of peak torque at 4,000 rpm. The Maruti Kizashi utilizes a direct ignition system for increased fuel efficiency with decreased emissions. With the help of this and other engine technologies, the car gives 9 kmpl in city and 12 kmpl at highway. The maximum fuel tank capacity of the car is 63 litre. COMPETITORS OF MARUTI SUZUKI · Hyundai · Tata Motors · Mahindra & Mahindra · Toyota · Honda · Ford · Nissan · Skoda · Mitsubishi · Fiat · Chevrolet · Hindustan Motors · Volvo Cars Manufacturing facilities Maruti Suzuki has two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in India. Both manufacturing facilities have a combined production capacity of 1,250,000 vehicles annually. Gurgaon Manufacturing Facility The Gurgaon Manufacturing Facility has three fully integrated manufacturing plants and is spread over 300 acres (1.2 km2). All three plants have an installed capacity of 350,000 vehicles annually but productivity improvements have enabled it to manufacture 700,000 vehicles annually. The Gurgaon facilities also manufacture 240,000 K-Series engines annually. The entire facility is equipped with more than 150 robots, out of which 71 have been developed in-house. The Gurgaon Facilities manufactures the 800, Alto, WagonR, Estilo, Omni, Gypsy and Eeco.' Manesar Manufacturing Facility The Manesar Manufacturing Plant was inaugurated in February 2007 and is spread over 600 acres (2.4 km2). Initially it had a production capacity of 100,000 vehicles annually but this was increased to 300,000 vehicles annually in October 2008. The production capacity was further increased by 250,000 vehicles taking total production capacity to 550,000 vehicles annually. The Manesar Plant produces the A-star, Swift, Swift DZire and SX4. Sales and service network As of 31 March 2010 Maruti Suzuki had 802 dealerships across 555 towns and cities in India. It had 906 dealer workshops and 1,834 Maruti Authorised Service Stations in 1,335 towns and cities. It has 30 Express Service Stations on 30 National Highways across 1,314 cities in India. Service is a major revenue generator of the company. Most of the service stations are managed on franchise basis, where Maruti Suzuki trains the local staff. Other automobile companies have not been able to match this benchmark set by Maruti Suzuki. The Express Service stations help many stranded vehicles on the highways by sending across their repair man to the vehicle. Maruti Insurance Launched in 2002 Maruti Suzuki provides vehicle insurance to its customers with the help of the National Insurance Company, Bajaj Allianz, New India Assurance and Royal Sundaram. The service was set up the company with the inception of two subsidiaries Maruti Insurance Distributors Services Pvt. Ltd and Maruti Insurance Brokers Pvt. Limited. This service started as a benefit or value addition to customers and was able to ramp up easily. By December 2005 they were able to sell more than two million insurance policies since its inception. Maruti Finance To promote its bottom line growth, Maruti Suzuki launched Maruti Finance in January 2002. Prior to the start of this service Maruti Suzuki had started two joint ventures Citicorp Maruti and Maruti Countrywide with Citi Group and GE Countrywide respectively to assist its client in securing loan. Maruti Suzuki tied up with ABN Amro Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Limited, Kotak Mahindra, Standard Chartered Bank, and Sundaram to start this venture including its strategic partners in car finance. Again the company entered into a strategic partnership with SBI in March 2003. Citicorp Maruti Finance Limited is a joint venture between Citicorp Finance India and Maruti Udyog Limited its primary business stated by the company is "hire-purchase financing of Maruti Suzuki vehicles". Citi Finance India Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Citibank Overseas Investment Corporation,Delaware, which in turn is a 100% wholly owned subsidiary of Citibank N.A. Citi Finance India Limited holds 74% of the stake and Maruti Suzuki holds the remaining 26%. GE Capital, HDFC and Maruti Suzuki came together in 1995 to form Maruti Countrywide. Maruti claims that its finance program offers most competitive interest rates to its customers, which are lower by 0.25% to 0.5% from the market rates. Maruti TrueValue Maruti True service offered by Maruti Suzuki to its customers. It is a market place for used Maruti Suzuki Vehicles. One can buy, sell or exchange used Maruti Suzuki vehicles with the help of this service in India. As of 31 March 2010 there are 341 Maruti True Value outlets. N2N Fleet Management N2N is the short form of End to End Fleet Management and provides lease and fleet management solution to corporates. Its impressive list of clients who have signed up of this service include Gas Authority of India Ltd, DuPont, Reckitt Benckiser, Sona Steering, Doordarshan, Singer India, National Stock Exchange and Transworld. This fleet management service include end-to-end solutions across the vehicle's life, which includes Leasing, Maintenance, Convenience services and Remarketing. Accessories Many of the auto component companies other than Maruti Suzuki started to offer components and accessories that were compatible. This caused a serious threat and loss of revenue to Maruti Suzuki. Maruti Suzuki started a new initiative under the brand name Maruti Genuine Accessories to offer accessories like alloy wheels, body cover, carpets, door visors, fog lamps, stereo systems, seat covers and other car care products. These products are sold through dealer outlets and authorized service stations throughout India. Maruti Driving School As part of its corporate social responsibility Maruti Suzuki launched the Maruti Driving School in Delhi. Later the services were extended to other cities of India as well. These schools are modelled on international standards, where learners go through classroom and practical sessions. Many international practices like road behaviour and attitudes are also taught in these schools. Before driving actual vehicles participants are trained on simulators. Exports Maruti Exports Limited is the subsidiary of Maruti Suzuki with its major focus on exports and it does not operate in the domestic Indian market. The first commercial consignment of 480 cars were sent to Hungary. By sending a consignment of 571 cars to the same country Maruti Suzuki crossed the benchmark of 300,000 cars. Since its inception export was one of the aspects government was keen to encourage. Every political party expected Maruti Suzuki to earn foreign currency. Angola, Benin, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Europe, Kenya, Morocco, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Chile, Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador are some of the markets served by Maruti Exports. · www.wikipedia.com · www.marutiudyog.com · www.google.com · www.marutisuzuki.com · Business today magazine