It is learnt that Maruti Suzuki has decided to set up a Research and Development (R&D) centre at Manesar, near Gurgaon which would be on par with the Suzuki Motor Corporation's (SMC) research centre in Japan. It was reported earlier that Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) had outlined an investment outlay of Rs. 4,000 crore for the development of the next generation KB engine plant in Gurgaon, an R&D facility at Manesar, a port at Mundra, new models like A-star and Splash as well as establishing regional stockyards and brand centres over the next two years in the country. Sources have confirmed that MSI has been hiring aggressively in disciplines such as design, electrical and mechanical engineering and will soon sew up its negotiations with the Haryana government. Sources have also revealed that the R&D center will begin its operations by 2010. The new R&D centre, which will spearhead design and development of small cars, will also have other testing facilities to carry out research on safety and newer technologies. It will sport a testing track.

According to a senior representative of the company, at least 170 Indian engineers have been roped in between April-July'08 making a total headcount of 570. The company intends to ramp it up to 1,000 by 2010. The company is also hopeful to strengthen its capability in developing new models from the R&D team in India. Moreover, MSI is keen to develop its in-house capability with Suzuki's support.

Currently, Maruti Suzuki carries out its research and development for its new models at SMC's research center in Japan and its research facility in Gurgaon. But with the new R&D centre coming up at Manesar, the company intends to shift the entire R&D base to India. The Indian R&D team has also been involved in the development of Swift, Dzire and SX4, though it was conceived in Japan. The team has developed a compact concept car, called A Star, which was unveiled at the Auto Expo in Delhi during early 2008.

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