Behind the Leading Edge

The country's largest car-maker has a lot going on behind the scenes. Car India was among the small group invited to the Maruti Suzuki R&D Centre in Rohtak, Haryana, to see exactly what goes into building their cars

- Jim Gorde 

MARUTI SUZUKI ARE INDIA'S LEADING M automakers and by some margin with anywhere between 40 and 50 per cent market share over the past few years, at times earlier even more than that; it's not inaccurate to say that half the cars on the road are Maruti Suzukis and the remaining half is everybody else. Now times are a-changing. New norms and regulations necessitate deeper study, research, and testing and Maruti Suzuki were ahead of the curve even there. World-class cars need world-class resources and we were given an insight into the Maruti Suzuki R&D Centre in Rohtak, Haryana.

Spread over 600 acres, this research and development centre in Rohtak is one of the most advanced facilities in India and among the best in Asia. The integrated R&D Centre has state-of-the-art vehicle testing and evaluation labs as well as a world-class proving ground with a unique set of test-tracks. With an investment or Rs 3,800 crore, the Rohtak test track was commissioned in November 2014. Developed with Suzuki's technical know-how, it can emulate all the conditions necessary as the proving grounds of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan. The Rohtak proving ground was designed keeping in mind global and Indian road conditions. More importantly, several necessary upgrades are done in the facilities to evaluate vehicle performance to suit the evolving market needs.

Maruti Suzuki have been entrusted with the development of new models with focus on localization of parts and vehicle performance requirements from various markets and regulatory changes based on Suzuki's global platform, powertrains, and technology, ensuring world-class quality underpins all progressive stages of vehicle development. Over the last 20 years, the company has had its engineers trained in Suzuki, Japan, and uses their skills and learning to develop the new range of vehicles the new Baleno, Brezza, and the all-new Grand Vitara from the Maruti Suzuki R&D Centre.