Asia Bizz: Skoda Partners With Maruti For Its New Small Car ‘Yeti’ Launch In India
Skoda announced on Monday its plans to partner with Maruti Suzuki to launch a new small car ‘Yeti’, Â which is scheduled to launch in India by 2012. The price range of the car will be ranging somewhere between 3-5 lakhs. Sources say that it will in competition against other small cars in the market like the Chevrolet Beat and the Maruti Suzuki A-Star.
Mr. Thomas Kuehl, Board member, Sales and Marketing announced the same at the launch of the Skoda Yeti. A senior official at Maruti also confirmed that similar partnership talks were discussed in Japan, where Maruti’s parent company Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) is based.
The Skoda-Maruti partnership includes new products and design which will follow the German automaker Volkswagen Group’s purchase of a 19.9 per cent stake in SMC for $2.5 billion last year. Apart from being a part of Volkswagon group, it also owns other brands such as Audi, Lamborghini and Bentley.
“There are talks happening at the headquarters. An old car in a Skoda batch would not fit. What we can get from Maruti is its ability to make small cars cheaply. They are interested in our engines,†Mr Kuehl said.
