Maruti Suzuki to set up R&D centre at Rohtak

Maruti is expected to invest around Rs 2,400 cr to set up this facility

Intensifying its effort to scale up R&D infrastructure, the country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India today laid the foundation stone for its Research & Development Centre and Proving Ground at Rohtak.

The facility is spread over an area of 600 acres. Maruti Suzuki is expected to invest in the range of Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 2,400 crore to set up this world class R&D facility, the company said in a statement.

"It (the centre) will augment the R&D capability of Maruti Suzuki engineers manifold. This will enable us to design, develop and launch cars at a faster pace," Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Managing Director and CEO Shinzo Nakanishi said.

The R&D centre at Rohtak will be equipped with latest R&D infrastructure and world class test tracks, he added.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda laid the foundation stone of the R&D Centre and Proving Ground.

Last month, MSI had announced an additional investment of Rs 900 crore at the Rohtak R&D facility by 2014 over and above the Rs 1,500 crore that has been invested on setting up of a test track.

The company is planning to set up various facilities, including testing for emission and safety at the Rohtak centre.

"The R&D Centre at Rohtak will be an integrated facility for vehicle testing and evaluation, which is crucial for developing new car models," MSI said.

MSI has been scaling up R&D capabilities. Its engineers have co-designed and developed global models like Swift and the latest model Ertiga, with their counterparts at parent Suzuki's R&D unit in Japan.

In the area of alternate fuel technology too, Maruti Suzuki engineers have successfully designed and developed CNG and LPG vehicles.