Volkwagen looks to market Maruti’s A-Star in Europe
23 Feb 2011
German carmaker Volkswagen, which holds a 19.9-per cent stake in Suzuki Motor Corp, is said to have finalised Maruti Suzuki India's small car 'A-Star' for overseas marketing.
Sources said the German carmaker has identified the car for marketing and selling in the European markets through its own network.
PTI reported, quoting MSI managing director and CEO Shinzo Nakanishi, that he believed some discussions were going on, but he did not know anything as these were being discussed between MSI parent Suzuki and VW.
He added that so far no decision had been taken by the companies regarding 'A-star'
'A-Star', which launched in European markets in February 2009, is the flagship export model of MSI and counts a presence across 100 countries. The car is being marketed as 'Alto' in Europe, while in other regions it is sold as 'Celerio'
Further, the 'A-Star' is also being marketed by Japanese carmaker Nissan in Europe as 'Pixo' under a contract manufacturing agreement with MSI's parent Suzuki.