Maruti R III Concept MPV Coming Next Month

Suzuki's long-time partner in India, Maruti, will introduce its new R III concept next month at Auto Expo 2010. The car is based on a stretched Suzuki SX4 platform, insideline.com wrote, and will come in the form of an MPV with three rows of seats. Still, the production version of the car will undergo several modifications and rumors are pointing to a monocoque chassis. The engine lineup will include several units optimized for reduced fuel consumption and emissions, with displacements to vary between 1.2- and 1.4-liter. Additionally, the Indian carmaker might offer a diesel configuration and, at this time, Fiat's 1.3-liter Multijet configuration has the biggest chances to make it to the production model. While the concept model is going to be revealed next month, the production edition won't be released sooner than 2012, the source wrote. In the meantime, Suzuki and its new partner Volkswagen are working on a cheap model specifically addressed to the Indian market, with pricing to go between $4,300 and $5,400. Production will be obviously handled by Maruti, with the new model likely to replace the Alto in India. "At some point we will need a replacement for the Alto. That price range is the entry level for Indian customers today, so we can't leave that segment open," R.C. Bhargava, chairman of the Indian manufacturer, said in a statement. "Volkswagen will be greatly interested in a car below the price segment of the Up ... and that is something we will need to check in our future together with Suzuki," Fabian Mannecke, a Volkswagen spokesman, added. The concept was launched today and more info is available here.