[volkman10]

Anticipating less revenue flow to dealers due to:

a. Advent of electric and hybrid vehicles in India with lesser number of moving parts compared with fossil-fuel vehicles is also expected to bring down vehicle servicing needs

b.With the introduction of new emission and safety norms from next year, the quality of products will further improve. So, the need to service vehicles would also further decline


With these guiding principles Maruti Suzuki wants suppliers to sell spare parts through dealerships, service centres.

Maruti Suzuki would charge a certain amount as royalty from the suppliers for stocking their spare parts at its authorized dealerships and service centres

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd has created a royalty vertical in its spare parts department wherein the company will offer the option to its vendors—such as tyre makers, engine oil suppliers and battery makers—to sell their wares directly through authorized dealerships and service centres

In return, the country’s largest car maker would charge a certain amount as royalty from the suppliers,

Source:

[volkman10]

Being a leader in the auto segment, Maruti Suzuki always is on the look out in innovative ways of beating the set trends.

Now opens a new chapter in Road Side Assistance - Maruti Suzuki’s ‘Quick Response Team on Bikes’

Maruti Suzuki India ltd, the most popular car manufacturer of India, will launch a unique customer-focused service on 24 August 2018. Dubbed as ‘Quick Response Team on Bikes’, this new initiative will open a new chapter in the field of road-side assistance.

Link

[volkman10]

At the company’s 37th annual general meeting (AGM) following were revealed.

- Maruti Suzuki will try to develop cars that run on ethanol and methanol alongside its efforts to launch electric cars

-M S is planning to introduce more CNG engines for its cars in the years ahead in its effort to reduce carbon emissions from its vehicles.

- Development of a policy for electric mobility is essential and electrification of the small cars continues to be a challenge for the industry

- Shareholder wants company to enter luxury cars segment, but automaker says no


Link

[caffeineAM]

Below article on Mint seems more like speculation, but they claim Suzuki will exit China and end up focusing on India. Begs the question then, why not bring their other models to India? Like the Jimny.

https://www.livemint.com/Auto/NujCFG...-may-have.html

[Flyer]

I think Maruti Suzuki should consider having one more sub-brand in India, apart from Nexa, for selling even more premium vehicles. A brand with some halo products, with international standards, and where they doesn't have to care about the numbers or about being segment leader.

They can start with cars like Swift Sport, Jimny etc which Maruti doesn't want to bring to India as they don't attract numbers!

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by Flyer

I think Maruti Suzuki should consider having one more sub-brand in India, apart from Nexa, for selling even more premium vehicles. A brand with some halo products, with international standards, and where they doesn't have to care about the numbers or about being segment leader.

They can start with cars like Swift Sport, Jimny etc which Maruti doesn't want to bring to India as they don't attract numbers!

Appreciate your suggestion.

My suggestion would be to have a separate "manufactuing brand" (to make high end luxurious cars) than just a "dealership brand". Suzuki as a manufactuing brand will be a limitation for selling luxurious cars. For selling Jimmy or Swift Sport, Nexa is enough IMO.

And this separate manufactuing brand shall have the DNA of reliability and somewhat reasonable cost of maintenance / spares compared to BMW, Audi and likes.

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by volkman10

- Shareholder wants company to enter luxury cars segment, but automaker says no


Link

I don't think that'll ever happen. Suzuki is known for making cheap cars only- that's their tried and tested formula.

Isn't the partnership with Toyota to badge engineer some premium models?

[Flyer]

Originally Posted by volkman10

- Shareholder wants company to enter luxury cars segment, but automaker says no

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

I don't think that'll ever happen. Suzuki is known for making cheap cars only- that's their tried and tested formula.

Most of the big Japanese brands have a luxury marque. Toyota have Lexus, Honda have Acura, Nissan have Infiniti etc. Therefore one cannot blame shareholders for thinking about it, considering Suzuki's global position today. I think its time for Suzuki to take baby steps towards its luxury marque. If Hyundai can develop a successful luxury marque (Genesis), then why not Suzuki?

But again, I don't think Suzuki will ever step forward into making luxury cars. How can one hope Suzuki to build luxury cars when they decided to rely on Toyota for making a D-segment sedan!

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

My suggestion would be to have a separate "manufactuing brand" (to make high end luxurious cars) than just a "dealership brand". Suzuki as a manufactuing brand will be a limitation for selling luxurious cars. For selling Jimmy or Swift Sport, Nexa is enough IMO.

Yes, Suzuki should consider a new luxury marque (internationally).

The premium sub-brand that I was talking about was for Maruti (India only) where they can carefully select and sell good cars, which we enthusiasts can appreciate.

A sub-brand from which we can expect few existing Suzuki cars that doesn't compromising on build quality and engine for better mileage. That doesn't compromise on safety features to keep price low, and yet reliable cars.

I'm sure Maruti will never sell Swift Sport or Jimny under Nexa because they are behind volumes.

Maruti has become so big in India, that they can afford to do it now. This will only help them build their brand stronger if they can see the bigger picture.

[volkman10]

Suzuki Motors has big plans for Maruti Suzuki - has called for a change in its 'way of thinking’ to achieve these targets.

Sets sights on 5 million sales from Maruti Suzuki.

This effectively means that India would serve as the hotbed for most of Suzuki’s future models including those powered by alternate fuel technology such as electric and fuel cells.

Suzuki Motor Corporation is keen to sell those cars to the world that are developed and made in India as the country assumes a bigger place in the Japanese company’s strategy till 2030.

Source:

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Suzuki Motor Corporation is keen to sell those cars to the world that are developed and made in India as the country assumes a bigger place in the Japanese company’s strategy till 2030.

This is all good, but it will be better if they actually sell those products developed and made in India, in India. Otherwise it will be like, sell 'VFM' products in India and 'Export Quality' for abroad.

[volkman10]

See how Suzuki is doing in the city car markets globally. Thanks to India it looks to outshine Fiat in this segment.

The Japanese brand may not be a big player in Europe, but globally speaking is by far the leader in the A-Segment. In H1-18, it sold more than 616.000 city-cars, which counted for almost one fourth of global total. Of course that almost all of those units remained in India and Japan (90%), and Europe counted for only 6% of the total.

However, Suzuki should not be underestimated. It controls the first and third largest city-car markets and has a strong presence in India, which is set to become the third largest car market by 2021.

Instead of trying to compete against the Germans and French, Fiat should pay more attention to Suzuki.

Link

[Chetan_Rao]

None of that reads like they have any plans of changing their product mix for India except what's mandated by regulatory requirements, so we'll continue to see made-for-India 'we meet all local regulations' products while they ramp up their export portfolio.

[volkman10]

Maruti Suzuki cuts the sales target to 8%, from the earlier estimated double digit growth.

struggling with flat sales in the past five months, has cut its sales target for the year to 8 per cent from the earlier doubledigit growth, but expects demand to revive in the fourth quarter.

Expects growth to pick up, starts 2019 with the launch of a New vehicle in Jan-19.



Link

[CarguyNish]

Exclusive | Maruti Suzuki Hybrids to be Rs 2.5 lakh costlier than petrol variants; maiden launch in 2020

The country’s largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki is set to become the first Indian company to mass produce 'strong' hybrids, which it hopes to price at a premium of Rs 2.5 lakh over petrol variants.

Speaking to Moneycontrol, RC Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki said although a GST rate cut on hybrids would be welcome making it affordable, the company is benchmarking diesel cars to price its hybrids.

“The hybrids will also have a similar cost (increase) as diesel and we have spoken of a hike of Rs 2.5 lakh over a petrol variant,” said Bhargava.

Currently, a BS-IV diesel hatchback or compact sedan costs Rs 80,000-100,000 higher than its petrol variant.

Maruti Suzuki has already said it will progressively switch production to BS-VI after December 31, 2019, three months before the deadline of March 31, 2020, to stop sales of BS-IV products.

Several companies have stopped new diesel engine development programs following a change in consumer preference towards petrol. After BS-VI introduction the share of diesel engines is expected to slip below 25 percent from the current 40 percent, according to an ICRA report.

Diesel cars are 25 percent more fuel efficient than petrol counterparts but hybrids are even better with a claimed mileage of 30 percent over petrol, as per Maruti Suzuki.

The Delhi-based maker of models like Swift, Baleno and Alto is banking on technology from partner Toyota to power its hybrid ambitions. Maruti Suzuki has so far dabbled with only mild hybrid technology.

A hybrid uses twin sources of energy to power the vehicle. A strong hybrid uses conventional petrol or diesel engine, and an electric motor. This hybrid is used mainly for highway cruising.

The 'mild' hybrid, on the other hand, comes into play during stop-go city traffic. It doesn't have a battery pack like its 'strong' cousin.

When asked for the level of hybridisation within Maruti’s range Bhargava said, “It depends on customer demand and also on what the government will do on GST. What we are talking about is strong hybrids which is the outcome of Suzuki Toyota alliance. The electric vehicle will be out in 2020 and so (the launch of a hybrid car) has to be around the same time.”

Source

[volkman10]

As a result of aggressive sales push, Maruti Suzuki retailed a total of 214,000 units in the domestic market during December resulting in a 15 % higher sales than the previous year.

On an average now inventory at Maruti dealerships had reduced to two weeks in the beginning of this month, from a high of five weeks at the beginning of December.

Link