Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL), the country’s largest passenger car maker, set to start production from its Gujarat plant in early 2017, is also preparing for a second assembly line at the site by 2019.
Sources say the company is likely to make its upcoming compact crossover, the Ignis, in the Gujarat plant, and also its Baleno hatchback. The Ignis is also expected to be made at its factories in the National Capital Region but, the source said, with the proximity of the Gujarat plant to ports, the crossover’s export units might be made at the site.
Market sources also indicated the new-generation Swift, expected to debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2017, could also be made at the plant. This could not be confirmed with the company.
As for the Baleno, the company has ambitious plans for export. It is currently shipped to France, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Chile, Israel, England, Nepal, Bhutan, Austria and Australia. The aim is to export the car to around 100 countries and so, Gujarat is the locale for making the model.
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