Maruti has been a leader in the small car segment in India but it still lacks significant presence in the SUV/MUV segment. It is once again trying to get foothold in the Indian SUV market with its latest MUV R3 slated to be launched in 2012. The car will be based on the R3 concept that Maruti is developing in India. It is likely to be launched in the Rs 7-9 lakh price bracket targeted squarely at the Toyota Innova and Mahindra Xylo.
Maruti had showcased the R3 Concept model at the Delhi Auto Expo 2010 earlier in January this year. The R3 shown at Delhi Auto Expo is a six-passenger compact van with three rows of seats and rear-hinged rear doors. It is built on a stretched version of the Suzuki SX4 platform. The Maruti Suzuki R3 will offer Indian customers a choice of four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines, as well as a compressed natural gas option.
"There's a lot more competition now as compared to 5 years earlier. They are getting into MUV's, which is a clear sign of expanding the product lineup," Rakesh Batra, auto partner at Ernst and Young said.
The model can be a volume sales model for the company as Volkswagen is planning to sell the model under its own brand also, while Skoda is planning to use the same platform to build its own MUV for the upcoming markets. The test mule of R3 concept will enter into testing phase in next two to three months after which it will also be showcased to Volkswagen. Thus, the model can be one of the first ones that will be shared by Suzuki with Volkswagen which intends to tap Maruti’s mass volume market and keep its production costs lower.
