Maruti Suzuki India

Maruti downtarget=490....

Posted by : sambala

A-Star is born

Can one car turn things around? Bring back the much-needed spark in sagging sales and some excitement into a dull market? Well, Maruti Suzuki’s A-Star was expected to do all that and more. And in many ways, the first impression is that it has. Of course, we can’t expect fireworks in an auto market that is seeing a slowdown—but after the diesel Swift, this seems like another Maruti model that will have long waiting lists for deliveries.

A first from Maruti was displaying and debuting a world concept car at India’s Auto Expo in January, and the world got the A-Star concept, which was flamboyant, innovative and slightly unusual-looking. The concept went to production in very little time, and we now have the A-Star in the market—it will sell as the Alto, Celerio and Nissan’s Pixo in Europe. In India, the older generation Alto will stay on and sell alongside the A-Star as an entry hatch.

Now, on with our review. A-Star stands for aerodynamic, sporty, trendy, aggressive, revolutionary engine design. Go figure! I like the fact that Suzuki and, by default, Maruti, has experimented with futuristic design. The car looks downright strange in some ways, but that is because the design is so new and different. Large headlights and an unconventional front grille and bumper add to the unusual styling. It’s a compact design, but thanks to intelligent use of space, the cabin is reasonably roomy for a car in this class, with a 2,360mm wheelbase. Ground clearance is not bad at 170mm.

What made me very happy was the overall interior trim levels, especially the quality of plastic used. The instruments are simple, except the top end model’s tachometer, which is mounted on top of the instruments—almost cockpit-like. That’s interesting but not necessarily effective. The in-dash music system is another nice touch, becoming a Maruti mainstay. The sound quality leaves much to be desired. Steering mounted controls are a plus, though.

One for the road: The A-star and its interiorsThe real story in the new A-Star is the brand new K-series engine that Maruti has rolled out. This marks a departure from the past, which saw new global Suzuki models in India using older existing engines. But the new 1 litre K10B engine is lighter by 15-20% compared to existing Suzuki engines in this range, and noise reduction—which was a priority—is apparent. The punchy little tyke proves to be fun on the road. What a pleasure—great response, tight revs and neat delivery of power. And that’s significant after ages from a petrol Maruti. The A-Star’s also got a great suspension for its class, and handles cornering very well.

The price range (Rs3.46-4.12 lakh) makes it a good deal. Compare variant for variant and the Hyundai i10 and Chevrolet Spark look cheaper. But with dual airbags and ABS, the A-Star ZXi is aggressively priced.


It’s almost with a great sense of relief and admiration that I say this. I walked up to the A-Star—expecting not to be impressed, expecting another typical Maruti. But what I got was a world-class Suzuki, which is great news for many Maruti fans who were awaiting this launch. The A-Star is positioned between the Swift and Zen Estilo. Maruti will also launch the Splash (which was a WagonR replacement in Europe last year) in India early next year.

BY Siddharth Vinayak Patankar

Maruti downtarget=490....

Posted by : sambala

A-Star is born

Can one car turn things around? Bring back the much-needed spark in sagging sales and some excitement into a dull market? Well, Maruti Suzuki’s A-Star was expected to do all that and more. And in many ways, the first impression is that it has. Of course, we can’t expect fireworks in an auto market that is seeing a slowdown—but after the diesel Swift, this seems like another Maruti model that will have long waiting lists for deliveries.

A first from Maruti was displaying and debuting a world concept car at India’s Auto Expo in January, and the world got the A-Star concept, which was flamboyant, innovative and slightly unusual-looking. The concept went to production in very little time, and we now have the A-Star in the market—it will sell as the Alto, Celerio and Nissan’s Pixo in Europe. In India, the older generation Alto will stay on and sell alongside the A-Star as an entry hatch.

Now, on with our review. A-Star stands for aerodynamic, sporty, trendy, aggressive, revolutionary engine design. Go figure! I like the fact that Suzuki and, by default, Maruti, has experimented with futuristic design. The car looks downright strange in some ways, but that is because the design is so new and different. Large headlights and an unconventional front grille and bumper add to the unusual styling. It’s a compact design, but thanks to intelligent use of space, the cabin is reasonably roomy for a car in this class, with a 2,360mm wheelbase. Ground clearance is not bad at 170mm.

What made me very happy was the overall interior trim levels, especially the quality of plastic used. The instruments are simple, except the top end model’s tachometer, which is mounted on top of the instruments—almost cockpit-like. That’s interesting but not necessarily effective. The in-dash music system is another nice touch, becoming a Maruti mainstay. The sound quality leaves much to be desired. Steering mounted controls are a plus, though.

One for the road: The A-star and its interiorsThe real story in the new A-Star is the brand new K-series engine that Maruti has rolled out. This marks a departure from the past, which saw new global Suzuki models in India using older existing engines. But the new 1 litre K10B engine is lighter by 15-20% compared to existing Suzuki engines in this range, and noise reduction—which was a priority—is apparent. The punchy little tyke proves to be fun on the road. What a pleasure—great response, tight revs and neat delivery of power. And that’s significant after ages from a petrol Maruti. The A-Star’s also got a great suspension for its class, and handles cornering very well.

The price range (Rs3.46-4.12 lakh) makes it a good deal. Compare variant for variant and the Hyundai i10 and Chevrolet Spark look cheaper. But with dual airbags and ABS, the A-Star ZXi is aggressively priced.


It’s almost with a great sense of relief and admiration that I say this. I walked up to the A-Star—expecting not to be impressed, expecting another typical Maruti. But what I got was a world-class Suzuki, which is great news for many Maruti fans who were awaiting this launch. The A-Star is positioned between the Swift and Zen Estilo. Maruti will also launch the Splash (which was a WagonR replacement in Europe last year) in India early next year.

BY Siddharth Vinayak Patankar

Maruti downtarget=490....

Posted by : marketman

The target is very well achieved.... ofcourse getting downward target are becoming very easy in these falling markets....

NSE Announcements on Maruti Suzuki

Posted by : MMB Messenger

Maruti Suzuki India Limited has informed the Exchange regarding a Press Release dated December 01, 2008, that Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India Limited sold 52,711 vehicles in November 2008. This includes 5,007 units of exports. The company had sold 69,699 vehicles in the domestic market in November 2007. Maruti Suzukis volume in the domestic A3 segment went up by 40.3 per cent. The details of the sales figures for November 2008 shall be available on the NSE website (http://www.nseindia.com) under Corporates > Latest Announcements and on the Extranet Server (/Common/Corporate Announcements).

NSE Announcements on Maruti Suzuki

Posted by : MMB Messenger

Maruti Suzuki India Limited has informed the Exchange regarding a Press Release dated December 01, 2008, that Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India Limited sold 52,711 vehicles in November 2008. This includes 5,007 units of exports. The company had sold 69,699 vehicles in the domestic market in November 2007. Maruti Suzukis volume in the domestic A3 segment went up by 40.3 per cent. The details of the sales figures for November 2008 shall be available on the NSE website (http://www.nseindia.com) under Corporates > Latest Announcements and on the Extranet Server (/Common/Corporate Announcements).

Maruti downtarget=490....

Posted by : sambala

GM closes under $3 - first time since `46

Stock plummets another 13% Tuesday as automaker plans to idle 1,900 workers

NEW YORK -- Shares of General Motors plunged another 13% on Tuesday to a 65-year low, closing below the $3 mark for the first time since 1946.

The stock closed Tuesday down 44 cents to $2.92, its lowest close since April 1943.

The Dow Jones industrial average component has lost nearly 40% of its value since Thursday. Shares began their slide on Friday when GM warned that it could run out of cash and posted a $4.2 billion loss.

On Tuesday, the battered automaker unveiled plans to idle nearly 2,000 hourly workers who build engines, transmission systems and body panels, during the first quarter of 2009, according to company spokesman Tony Sapienza. That reduction follows the news, disclosed Friday, that GM will idle another 3,600 hourly workers.

Making matters more complicated, GM will have to keep most of these hourly workers on the payroll during the current labor contract, which runs through September 2011.

The automaker is cutting salaried labor costs more efficiently. Last week it said it would cut another 10% of salaried employment costs, on top of a 20% cut in these costs that was already announced.

"We`re taking appropriate measures to adjust production to what the market is saying it needs," said Sapienza.

Cutting itself in half
As of Sept. 30, GM (GM, Fortune 500) had 123,000 workers in North America, down some 14% from a year earlier. Since the end of September, roughly 3,400 salaried workers opted for voluntary buyouts, bringing GM`s total North American workforce closer to 120,000.

Jeff Embersits, chief investment officer at Shareholder Value Management and an owner of GM stock, said there`s only one thing that can save the company: "The consumer needs to come out of the toilet and somebody needs to start buying cars."

GM said Tuesday that it was scaling back its presence at the Los Angeles Auto Show, scheduled for Nov. 19 and 20. Instead of unveiling its new Buick in California, GM said it will wait until Detroit`s annual auto show in January.

Embersits, who owns GM stock, said the company needs to "cut itself in half" by continuing to shut down plants and reducing the number of car brands it makes. Otherwise, GM might be better off filing for bankruptcy, he said.

However, during GM`s conference call following the release of its quarterly earnings report, Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said that the company wasn`t ready to speculate about a potential bankruptcy.

GM is not the only struggling automaker. Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500) last week reported a $3 billion quarterly operating loss and outlined staff reductions. Ford said it planned to cut salaried labor costs by 10% and reduce its hourly staff, mostly factory workers, by 2,600 through voluntary buyouts.

President-elect Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., are all pushing for a federal bailout of GM.

Maruti downtarget=490....

Posted by : sambala

GM closes under $3 - first time since `46

Stock plummets another 13% Tuesday as automaker plans to idle 1,900 workers

NEW YORK -- Shares of General Motors plunged another 13% on Tuesday to a 65-year low, closing below the $3 mark for the first time since 1946.

The stock closed Tuesday down 44 cents to $2.92, its lowest close since April 1943.

The Dow Jones industrial average component has lost nearly 40% of its value since Thursday. Shares began their slide on Friday when GM warned that it could run out of cash and posted a $4.2 billion loss.

On Tuesday, the battered automaker unveiled plans to idle nearly 2,000 hourly workers who build engines, transmission systems and body panels, during the first quarter of 2009, according to company spokesman Tony Sapienza. That reduction follows the news, disclosed Friday, that GM will idle another 3,600 hourly workers.

Making matters more complicated, GM will have to keep most of these hourly workers on the payroll during the current labor contract, which runs through September 2011.

The automaker is cutting salaried labor costs more efficiently. Last week it said it would cut another 10% of salaried employment costs, on top of a 20% cut in these costs that was already announced.

"We`re taking appropriate measures to adjust production to what the market is saying it needs," said Sapienza.

Cutting itself in half
As of Sept. 30, GM (GM, Fortune 500) had 123,000 workers in North America, down some 14% from a year earlier. Since the end of September, roughly 3,400 salaried workers opted for voluntary buyouts, bringing GM`s total North American workforce closer to 120,000.

Jeff Embersits, chief investment officer at Shareholder Value Management and an owner of GM stock, said there`s only one thing that can save the company: "The consumer needs to come out of the toilet and somebody needs to start buying cars."

GM said Tuesday that it was scaling back its presence at the Los Angeles Auto Show, scheduled for Nov. 19 and 20. Instead of unveiling its new Buick in California, GM said it will wait until Detroit`s annual auto show in January.

Embersits, who owns GM stock, said the company needs to "cut itself in half" by continuing to shut down plants and reducing the number of car brands it makes. Otherwise, GM might be better off filing for bankruptcy, he said.

However, during GM`s conference call following the release of its quarterly earnings report, Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said that the company wasn`t ready to speculate about a potential bankruptcy.

GM is not the only struggling automaker. Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500) last week reported a $3 billion quarterly operating loss and outlined staff reductions. Ford said it planned to cut salaried labor costs by 10% and reduce its hourly staff, mostly factory workers, by 2,600 through voluntary buyouts.

President-elect Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., are all pushing for a federal bailout of GM.

Maruti downtarget=490....

Posted by : marketman

Very interesting to see that deutche bank giving zero target for world`s largest car maker stock....

Maruti downtarget=490....

Posted by : marketman

Investors are not at all showing interest on auto stocks world wide,slowdown impact badly hitting the sector.... this scrip can easily fall to mentioned target very soon....