Highlighting the importance of Maruti Udyog (MUL) in Suzuki's future plans, the Japanese carmaker has involved, for the first time, engineers from the company for design and development of its international model Swift. The model, which is slated for launch in the Indian market in May, saw a total of 21 engineers from Maruti working in partnership with engineers from Suzuki to develop Swift, Suzuki's first world car. "Never before have engineers from India been involved in the development of an international car model," a senior company official said today. The engineers from Maruti have been part of the Swift design team for two years. They are currently busy testing the model for Indian conditions."Maruti and Suzuki management recognised the talent of Indian engineers. At the initiative of Jagdish Khattar, MD of Maruti, Suzuki started training these engineers about four years ago," the official said.He said as Suzuki had plans to launch the model in India, it had taken steps to involve Indian engineers right from the design stage. The Swift, one of Suzuki's latest models, has become one of the top 20 models in Japan. It is the Japanese carmaker's first world car and was designed with European taste in mind.The model, a premium hatchback, is expected to be priced around Rs 4.5 lakh, and will primarily compete against Hyundai's Getz and Corsa Sail.
