Fiat, Suzuki hitch local rides

Italian, Japanese majors to sell cars, bikes through Tata, Maruti dealers.

The second day of the Auto Expo saw back-to-back announcements about two multinationals "" Italy's Fiat and Suzuki Motors of Japan "" looking to leverage their more established partners' networks in the country.

The first announcement only confirmed the Tata Motors and Fiat plan to join hands. Beginning March this year, Fiat cars, the Grande Punto and the Alfa Romeo, will be available with Tata Motors' dealers.

Access to the Tata Motors network will address a long-standing issue of network and after-sales support for Fiat customers. Fiat has just 70 dealers in the country but now it will have to access to many more.

Select Tata Motors' dealers "" whose total number is about 250 "" will not only sell Fiat cars but also service them and sell their components.

These outlets will bear both Tata and Fiat logos. Around the same time that Ratan Tata took the wraps off the partnership with Fiat, Suzuki Motorcycle India (SMI) Managing Director Satya Sheel revealed that the company hoped to build on Suzuki's household name status and set up a sound communication and dealer network.

"We will look to use Maruti's communication and dealer network. We are both Suzuki companies," Sheel said.

Maruti Udyog's sales and service outlets together number 2,527. This is what Suzuki Motorcycle India would like to make use of Suzuki, at present, has 70 dealers of its own.

Sheel also talked about a dealership tunnel in which a customer would get to see the entire range of passenger vehicles by the time he came out of it.

Maruti insiders could not confirm whether such a move was on.