Shinzo Nakanishi, MD, Maruti Suzuki
B&E: In your view, which all factors played a major role in empowering Maruti Suzuki to save the grace of its bottomline in the last fiscal when almost all the other automakers were on their knees?
SN: In times of a slowdown, people do not want to take any risk. They prefer purchasing brands on which they have full trust; and in the automotive market Maruti Suzuki comes on the top on those grounds. Moreover, we saw the slowdown coming in the urban areas of the country and we moved rather aggressively into the rural and the semi-urban market, which helped a lot to cope up with the slowdown.
B&E: Your expectations from the ‘new’ government?
SN: The previous government helped a lot to deal with the dull phase in the automotive market, be it the excise cut or petrol price going down; the government surely helped many players to sustain in the second half of 2008. If the government can again provide more help, everyone will be more than happy.
B&E: Honda & Mahindra have tried their hands in hybrids, is Maruti Suzuki planning a hybrid for India?
SN: If Maruti Suzuki will bring a hybrid in India it will be through Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan. The current hybrid that Suzuki has is a big car, but they are working on developing a small hybrid for the Indian market. Apart from that, we’re working on a National Hybrid Project with the government to develop hybrids for the country in association with M&M and Tata Motors.
B&E: In your view, which all factors played a major role in empowering Maruti Suzuki to save the grace of its bottomline in the last fiscal when almost all the other automakers were on their knees?
SN: In times of a slowdown, people do not want to take any risk. They prefer purchasing brands on which they have full trust; and in the automotive market Maruti Suzuki comes on the top on those grounds. Moreover, we saw the slowdown coming in the urban areas of the country and we moved rather aggressively into the rural and the semi-urban market, which helped a lot to cope up with the slowdown.
B&E: Your expectations from the ‘new’ government?
SN: The previous government helped a lot to deal with the dull phase in the automotive market, be it the excise cut or petrol price going down; the government surely helped many players to sustain in the second half of 2008. If the government can again provide more help, everyone will be more than happy.
B&E: Honda & Mahindra have tried their hands in hybrids, is Maruti Suzuki planning a hybrid for India?
SN: If Maruti Suzuki will bring a hybrid in India it will be through Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan. The current hybrid that Suzuki has is a big car, but they are working on developing a small hybrid for the Indian market. Apart from that, we’re working on a National Hybrid Project with the government to develop hybrids for the country in association with M&M and Tata Motors.
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