Currently reading: Suzuki won't build Nano rival

Suzuki boss says cheaper vehicle 'wouldn't be a car anymore'

Suzuki isn’t going to launch a cheap car to battle the Tata Nano in developing countries, despite facing a grave threat in one of its best-performing markets.

The Nano will undercut the many models offered in India by Suzuki and its partner Maruti, who together control more than 50 per cent of the market.

But company boss Osamu Suzuki says a car cheaper than its current models “wouldn’t be a car any more”.

Suzuki is worried about watering down safety and comfort standards in a super-cheap model. Even details like switching to a cost-saving single windscreen wiper will erode those standards, the Japanese company reckons.

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