The country’s largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki India, today said that “Tata Nano” may have a marginal impact on the sales of its entry-level small car Maruti 800, but ruled out cutting its price. “It (Nano) may have a marginal impact on the Maruti 800 segment, but we don’t have any plan to cut its price or enter the Nano segment,” Maruti Suzuki India Chairman RC Bhargava told reporters on the sidelines of the CII annual session here.
Asked about the company’s plans to counter the competition from Nano, he said, “Nano is in a different segment and we are in a different segment.” He, however, said Nano will help in expanding the market.
Asked about the sales performance of the company, he said, “The ongoing quarter has been good”, but declined to forecast saying issues like elections, policies of the new government, interest rates and commodity prices would have to be factored.
Meanwhile, major two-wheeler manufacturers are unanimous that the Nano will have no impact on their business.
“Nothing much has changed since the unveiling of Nano at the Auto Expo, except for the announcement of prices. I still maintain it is not going to have any real impact on two-wheelers,” Hero Honda Motors Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Pawan Munjal told reporters here today on the sidelines of the CII Annual Session.
He said going by the price, there is a fair difference between the cost of ownership and maintenance of Nano and two-wheelers. TVS Motor Company Chairman Venu Srinivasan said, “There will be no major impact on two-wheelers. It (Nano) will create its own segment.”
In a similar vein, Bajaj Auto Chairman and Managing Director Rahul Bajaj said, “I don’t see a Pulsar buyer going to Nano.
