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Virendra Pandit

Mundra (Gujarat), Jan. 11 The first export shipment of Maruti Suzuki’s world strategic model A-Star set out for Europe from Mundra Port, developed by the Adani Group, on Saturday..

The pilot consignment, comprising 1,534 A-Star cars for export to the UK and Italy, is expected to reach the European ports by early February.

The shipment was flagged off by Mr Shinzo Nakanishi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, Mr Sandeep Mehta, CEO, Container and Logistic Business, Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone Ltd (MPSEZL) and Mr Masahiro Kato, Director, Managing Corporate Officer, NYK Line, Japan.

A-Star, christened as the Suzuki Alto in Europe, represents Suzuki’s re-entry into the European small-car market and this model, as a Made-in-India car, represents Maruti Suzuki’s aspirations, as an Indian company, to emerge as a global hub for manufacturing and exporting small cars. Maruti Suzuki had unveiled A-Star in India in mid-November 2008.

Mr Mehta said the dedicated car handling facility at Mundra Port, coupled with specially designed car-tainers to carry cars safely from Manesar to Mundra, is unique to India.

The Suzuki Alto export consignment was transported to Mundra from Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant, on a specially designed double-decker auto wagon railway rake.

The car is being offered in over 200 variants and is expected to be exported to around 150 countries across Europe, West Asia, Latin America, Asia, Oceania and Africa.

A-Star is expected to contribute a significant number to the overall export target. Meanwhile, the port facilities are being enhanced to handle large volume exports, of over 200,000 units annually, by 2010-11.

Maruti Suzuki will continue to route a portion of its exports through Mumbai and Nhava Sheva ports. It has exported over 5,52,000 units cumulatively with about 2,80,000 units to Europe and Israel. In the current fiscal, Maruti Suzuki has exported close to 44,870 units, growing 18 per cent over the previous fiscal.

The mega car terminal facility being developed at Mundra is part of the long-term agreement signed between Maruti Suzuki and MPSEZL last year to develop a dedicated car handling facility.

The terminal, being built with an initial investment of Rs 100 crore, will conform to international standards. The facility is expected to bring global efficiencies to the auto logistics industry and will help bring India on the global automotive logistics map.

The car terminal is expected to be fully operational by March 2009. The facility would also house a modern ‘pre-delivery inspection’ centre, a car stockyard and a dedicated ‘buffer area’ for cars to be parked before loading onto the ship.

More Stories on : Exports & Imports | Cars | Maruti Udyog Ltd | Gujarat

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