Suzuki to Use India as Key Export Market

India has always been an important market for Suzuki, mostly thanks to the local partnership with Maruti, but the Japanese manufacturer is now trying to fully benefit from this particular country. Suzuki wants to turn India into an export hub for small cars and, because it reckons that the country's infrastructure must be improved in order to support its goal, it demands support from the government.

"For Europe, Africa and West Asia (Middle East), we are looking at India as an export hub," SMC Chairman Osamu Suzuki said at the Nikkei Business Summit according to a report by The Economic Times. "As we want to use India as an export hub, ports are very important. We would like to request the government to improve them," he added.

The recently-signed partnership between Suzuki and Volkswagen won't affect the Indian market, Suzuki said, so the Japanese manufacturer will continue to focus on its export plans on its own.

"Suzuki Japan and Volkswagen Germany are in talks. Maruti Suzuki has nothing to do with those talks," he stated.

Meanwhile, rumors are claiming that Suzuki and Volkswagen are jointly developing a cheap model addressed to the Indian market. The model would be produced by Maruti Suzuki and would replace the Alto, a very successful model on the local market.

"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.