SMC, MUL to pump in Rs 2,500cr at Manesar plant

New Delhi, Jan 24 (UNI) Suzuki Motor Corp (SMC) and Maruti Udyog Ltd (MUL) will invest over Rs 2,500 crore at their Manesar plant to reach a capacity of three lakh diesel engines by 2010.

''The demand for diesel cars is growing in India, and Suzuki Motor Corporation and Maruti Udyog have made major investments in diesel facilities to serve customer needs,'' MUL Managing Director Jagdish Khattar told reporters while launching two variants of the diesel version of Swift today.

The engine for the D-Swift is being manufactured at the company's diesel engine plant in Manesar near Gurgaon at an existing capacity of one lakh engines annually.

The two versions -- LDi and VDi -- have been introduced at a price of Rs 4.68 lakh and 4.96 lakh, respectively, ex showroom Delhi.

Mr Khattar also said two more models will be rolled out from MUL's stable in 2007-08, without giving further details.

The Swift Diesel is powered by a new generation 1.3 litre DDiS engine with five injection technology, and delivers a power of 75 bhp.

The technology for the diesel engine was obtained by SMC through a technical licence agreement with Fiat and Adam Opel.

UNI