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The country’s largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki India has revealed that that it is undergoing talks with its parent company, Suzuki Motor Company for development of the compact SUV for the Indian market. The company which used to enjoy a 50% market share in the Indian passenger car segment has seen a considerable drop in its market share in the past year. with a view to regain back the market share, the company plans to make a speedy entry into the compact SUV segment.

The compact SUV segment has seen a lot of demand off late in the Indian automotive market and companies like Ford and Renault are already on track to launch their compact SUV models this year with the EcoSport and the Duster respectively. These models were also showcased by the companies at the 2012 Auto Expo. Maruti Suzuki, on the other hand showcased a concept model of its compact SUV, the XA Alpha.

The company admits that though it takes close to 18 to 24 months to design, develop and commercially manufacture a car, it has a strong belief that it can fast-track the development process. Top officials from Maruti Suzuki led by managing director and chief executive Mr. Shinzo Nakanishi recently flew to Japan to discuss this plan at length and breadth with the Suzuki officials. If the discussion comes through, then we expect to see a Maruti Suzuki badged compact SUV very soon on the Indian roads at an aggressive pricing.

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