Suzuki recalls over 10,000 Altos in Europe

No impact on Indian market

Within six months of recalling 100,000 units of compact car 'A-Star', Japanese carmaker Suzuki Motor Corp is recalling over 10,000 units of the automatic transmission version of its 'Alto' car in Europe.

The car, which is manufactured only in India by Suzuki's subsidiary, Maruti Suzuki, is sold under the brand 'Alto' in Europe, while it is sold as the 'A-Star' here.

The recall, however, will not have any impact on the Indian market, as Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) does not sell the automatic transmission version here.

The latest recall is to rectify a faulty stop lamp switch in over 10,000 units of the automatic transmission version of the model which were sold in Europe last year, according to reports from Europe.

Earlier, in February, MSI had made public a global recall of 100,000 A-Star cars to rectify faulty fuel pump gaskets, a process which started in December 2009.

Suzuki Motor Corp officials did not respond to an e-mail query.

According to estimates, the automatic transmission version accounts for about 10 per cent of the total of over 100,000 units of 'Alto' (A-Star) that Suzuki sold in Europe last year.

The A-Star is MSI's flagship export model and sales of the car in Europe started in January 2009.

A-Star is currently exported to over 70 countries, including South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, MSI's stock fell by 1.29 per cent and closed at Rs 1,257.95 on the Bombay Stock Exchange.