India-made diesel engines to power Splash in Europe

The Multijet 1.3-litre common-rail direct injection engine manufactured by Maruti Udyog at its new diesel engine plant in Manesar will power the new Suzuki Splash, which is set to make its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, and go on sale in Europe in early 2008. Maruti will supply the engines, which it makes under licence from Fiat Group Automobiles, to Magyar Suzuki’s Esztergom, Hungary plant that already builds the Swift, SX4 and Ignis for the European market.

Suzuki is targeting annual sales of 60,000 units throughout Europe. Given that 50 percent of the European market is diesel, it would be fair to assume that Maruti would have to export about 30,000 diesel engines to meet this demand. The Manesar plant has a capacity of 300,000 engines, of which 100,000 have been earmarked for India. In Europe, the Splash will also be available in two petrol-engined options - a 1.0-litre 3-cylinder unit and a 1.2-litre 4-cylinder engine.

The Splash is the fourth all-new offering from Suzuki in the last three years. All three previous cars –Swift, SX4 and the Grand Vitara – are already available in India. Two vital specifications – the engine capacities and its 3.72 metre length - would suggest that it will be made and sold here sooner rather than later. These specifications would enable Maruti to avail of the concessional 16 percent duty for small cars in both petrol and diesel engine versions.

The Splash is the first model in the second phase of Suzuki’s ‘world strategy’ and epitomises the company’s ‘Way of Life!’ philosophy, underpinning its strategy of building cars that excite customers all over the world”. This phase focuses on young families as its main target group. The first, which included the Swift, SX4 and Grand Vitara, revolved around sportiness.

The car made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in September 2006, where Suzuki presented a concept version called ‘Project Splash’. It showcased the styling of a future production-version car. The fact that it has gone from concept to production within a year and with very little modifications is a pointer to the positive response from European consumers. Suzuki expects the European-styled Splash to become a major player in the mini-MPV segment. It could also become a bestseller in India given that the very “European” Swift has built up numbers close to 4000 units a month combined for both petrol and diesel versions.

Despite its short length – it has a 30mm shorter wheelbase than the Swift – the car is said to have sufficient space for up to five occupants plus plenty of boot space. Apart from attractive styling, it is reported to come with safe and precise handling, outstanding ride comfort, a high degree of environmental compatibility, and optimum passive and active safety. This, combined with Maruti’s competitive pricing and efficient service, would represent a great value proposition that the Indian consumers could find hard to resist.

SANDEEP BELAGAJEE