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Maruti plans to ship 16000 units of Alto Vx to Europe

V Phani Kumar

Maruti Udyog is planning to export 16,000 units of the Alto Vx to eight Western European countries. Of the proposed consignment, 50 per cent is confirmed orders, while the rest is estimates.

If the target culminates, it will be the second largest export for a car produced in India after the Ford Ikon, and could fetch Maruti over Rs 6 billion in foreign exchange during 2002-03.

According to senior company officials, in the first phase, Maruti will export the Alto Vx to Switzerland, Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Finland and Greece. Alto Vx is the 1.1-litre version of the car available in India, which is also available with a 800cc engine.

The orders could increase in the second phase, when Maruti plans to commence exports to Italy, considered the heart of the global small car market, in addition to the UK and France, the officials said.

The Alto Vx meant for exports will be branded as the new Suzuki Alto, but will be manufactured at Maruti's Gurgaon plant. It will have additional safety features such as the anti-lock braking system and airbags (not available with the Alto Vx), while the engine capacity and body specs will be similar to the Alto Vx.

The new Suzuki Alto will replace the Zen, which used to be earlier exported to Europe under the brand name of Suzuki Alto. Maruti has exported over 100,000 units of Zen to Europe till date.

The latest export orders have emanated from the recently concluded Geneva Motor Show, where the car was unveiled. Maruti officials said they have received orders for around 1,050 units from Germany, even before the car has been showcased to dealers. Maruti is now planning a national dealer show in Germany by May-end.

Furthermore, the company's Netherlands distributor, who had earlier placed orders for 3,500 Altos, has doubled the order for the year to 7,100 units.

The same distributor has already received 2,300 orders from customers, Maruti officials said.

These export orders for the Alto are expected to give a shot in the arm for Maruti, which has been witnessing a steady decline in exports over the last three years. During 2000-01, Maruti's exports dropped to under 12,000 units from a high of 23,468 units during 1998-99, according to figures released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

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