Maruti Suzuki India MD Shinzo Nakanishi(pictured) declared in Mumbai on April 6 that the company's next model will roll out from its Indian plant at Gurgaon, near Delhi, by the end of 2008.

" To begin with, we have plans to export 1,00,000 units of the new model annually to Europe and the rest of the world", he said.

This new model which in its concept form is called A-Star, is Suzuki's next world car. It was displayed at the 9th Auto Expo in New Delhi in Jan 2008. Suzuki India is planning to invest Rs.15.24 billion in a new car plant which will have a capacity of 1,00,000 cars per annum with the potential to scale it up to 2,50,000 units.