Maruti to maintain focus on small cars: Bhargava

S. Ronendra Singh Updated - March 12, 2018 at 03:43 PM.

Maruti Chairman R.C. Bhargava said small cars would remain the bread and butter segment for the company.

Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) on Saturday said the company would never manufacture premium cars and would focus only on small cars in the coming years.

“We will never go to the premium segment. Neither Maruti (MSIL) nor Suzuki (Corporation) will manufacture such cars. Small cars will remain the largest segment in India and our focus is to be a first-class player (market leader) in this segment as that is our bread and butter,” Maruti Suzuki India Chairman, R. C. Bhargava told presspersons here.

However, the company still sells the Kizashi sedan in the premium segment as a completely built unit. On being asked why, he said it was just to show customers that Suzuki can “build something like that”.

“We are in the business for the bottom line of the segment,” he said.

On the overall industry perspective, Bhargava said there was still uncertainty in the cars market with both petrol and diesel cars hard to sell.

“The next year will also be difficult for the industry, which is expected to show single digit growth,” he said adding that last year was not good either. Growth this year would be around six per cent, he said.

>ronendrasingh.s@thehindu.co.in

Published on December 20, 2012 11:05