| | Haryana allots 700 acres to Maruti Suzuki for hi-tech R&D complex at Rohtak | | | Rohtak, August 21, 2009 | | | Editor's Synopsis | | | | | | |  | Activity planned: Research and Development for passenger cars including test tracks and Suppliers' Park for Vendor companies of Maruti Suzuki India Limited | | | | Plot area: 700 acres: (R&D facilities including test tracks: 600 acres plus Suppliers' Park 100 acres) | | | | Investment: Range of Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 10-15 billion) | | | | Project timelines: Phase I by 2012 and Phase II by 2015 | | | | Maruti Suzuki to become Suzuki Motor Corporation's global R&D hub for small cars | | | | Maruti Suzuki to design and develop a car on its own and launch a made-in-India car by 2012 | | | | The Haryana government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has allotted 700 acres of land to India's largest car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) for the company's proposed Research and Development Complex in Rohtak.
The land allotment agreement was signed by Maruti Suzuki Managing Director and CEO Shri Shinzo Nakanishi and Shri Rajeev Arora, Managing Director, Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) at Rohtak. The Haryana Chief Minister, Shri Bhupinder Singh Hooda graced the occasion alongwith Shri Deepender Hooda, MP (Rohtak), Shri Shadi Lal Batra, MP (Rajya Sabha) and Shri R C Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki. Senior dignitaries and state government officials and Maruti Suzuki top management team were also present at the ceremony.
The upcoming Maruti Suzuki facility, which is the sole such facility by Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) outside of Japan, will see MSIL putting in an investment in the range of Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 10-15 billion) and will introduce world-class R&D facilities into India. Of the 700 acres land, a dedicated 100 acres will house the Suppliers' Park. The company's vendor partners will bring in further investment in their plants at the dedicated Suppliers' Park within the R&D complex.
The Rohtak R&D complex, which will be at par with international norms, will house an R&D centre for passenger cars including India's first state-of-the-art test track with a proving ground, wind tunnel, crash facility etc.
While the development of the allotted land and construction of the Test tracks will be completed during the first phase by 2012, the overall R&D facilities will be progressively completed by 2015.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Shinzo Nakanishi, Managing Director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India, said, "Six years ago, Mr. Osamu Suzuki, Chairman, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan had promised the people of India that he will make Maruti Suzuki the R&D hub for Asia, outside Japan. Today, we have taken a step further in realizing this promise. This facility in Rohtak would be a big step forward in building the R&D capability of Maruti Suzuki, and enable us to offer superior products to our customers in the future as well . I am happy that all this is happening in Haryana. I thank the Haryana government and the Central government for their unstinted support to Maruti Suzuki over the last 25 years".
The project, he said, will add to Maruti Suzuki's in-house R&D facilities and will be a dream-come-true for Indian engineers and automobile designers. The ambitious outlay highlights the growing `India-focus' by Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan towards making Maruti Suzuki the R&D hub for small cars, outside Japan.
This Rohtak R&D complex is the latest of the series of big-ticket investments by Maruti Suzuki, which has turned Haryana state as a global manufacturing hub. For the latest global model, 'A star' SMC has chosen Maruti Suzuki, India as the sole manufacturing base for its global requirement.
Partners in progress: Government of Haryana and Maruti Suzuki
From the early 1980s when Suzuki set up its first car manufacturing plant in Gurgaon, Maruti Suzuki has invested in Haryana state on a continuous basis. These investments include a state-of-the-art car plant in Manesar, a 3-lakh units annual capacity diesel engine plant, and a new-generation K-series engine plant. Alongside, the company has developed multiple new models, including the recently launched A-star and Ritz, which have been received with great success in India and abroad.
Maruti Suzuki believes that the Rohtak facility will make Haryana the base for automobile engineering, besides catalysing future investments by automobile industry.
Crucially, by virtue of multiple test tracks and facilities, the 700-acre Rohtak project will have crash test facility, emission labs, wind tunnel testing, durability testing facilities as well as performance evaluation facilities for components will also be set up. The Rohtak R&D complex will augment the full vehicle design and development capability of Maruti Suzuki, thereby meeting the specific needs of the Indian customer. Maruti Suzuki is on course to design a car on its own and launch a made-in-India car by 2012. | | | | |