Three days after settling a drawn out dispute over their joint auto venture, Suzuki Motor Corp. and the Indian government have decided to review overall production at Maruti Udyog Ltd. in a bid to boost its competitiveness, the automaker's president said Thursday.
The remarks by Osamu Suzuki were made after the nine-month row over management of the 50-50 joint venture ended Monday. MUL claims more than 80 percent of the Indian car market. "Because of the dispute, our product plan, including introduction of a new model, has been delayed," Suzuki told reporters.
Suzuki said he hopes to start a new model within two or three years to replace the Maruti 800, which was introduced to India in 1983. Suzuki will launch negotiations with the Indian government over ways to procure funds to increase its Indian plant production capacity, he said.
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