Maruti Suzuki to steer clear of quadricycles

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, the country’s largest passenger carmaker, is not enamoured of the quadricycle and will steer clear of it. It will continue to design and develop cars that customers expect of it, said a top official.

In an interaction at the Auto Expo in Greater Noida last week, when asked specifically if the company will look at making quadricycles, Kenichi Ayukawa, MD and CEO, said Maruti Suzuki does not have much interest in that area.

His understanding is that the quadricycle will replace rickshaws. It is a small vehicle and has different regulations. It is “quite dangerous in a sense”.

Bajaj Auto Ltd has developed a quadricycle, RE60, and showcased the concept of a passenger version — U Car — at the expo. A couple of other companies, notably Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, have expressed interest in the segment, even though some in the automobile industry are against the RE60 and the quadricycle concept. While the RE60 was targeted at the three-wheeler user, the U Car seeks to create a distinct space in urban and personal mobility. T

he two-seater U Car has wing doors, which means the vehicle can be parked in tight spaces and, with the rear of the vehicle tapering, occupants can walk out past the rear of the vehicle.

Apart from unveiling the Celerio hatchback, including an automatic version, Maruti Suzuki showcased two concept cars — the production-ready crossover SX4 S-Cross and the luxury sedan Ciaz, developed by its Japanese parent Suzuki Motor Corp.

Ayukawa said the company may launch those vehicles in India within a few years.

Why a luxury sedan, when the company did not have a good experience with the Kizashi that it had in the market till recently?

Ayukawa said the Kizashi was fully imported (which meant that it attracted high customs duty, which was passed on to the customers).

Asked about the concept of a compact SUV that the company unveiled at the 2012 Auto Expo, he said a bulk of the product development is being done in India and, hence, is more difficult than getting technology from the Japanese parent.

Maruti Suzuki, known largely as a small-car maker, is looking at making larger vehicles mainly because a number of its customers would want to graduate to larger cars and, when they do, the company should be able to offer them something, he said.

On the market outlook, Ayukawa said the industry ended the calendar year 2013 with a 6 per cent drop in sales and that trend is expected to continue this fiscal.

Maruti hopes to maintain sales at last year’s levels. “We have no good phenomena at the moment (to push sales),” he said.

He expressed hope that sentiments will improve, possibly after the elections.

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