Suzuki Celerio will be locally made in Thailand from May

Suzuki, in an official announcement revealed that the Celerio hatchback will be manufactured at its facility in Rayong,Thailand. This relatively new manufacturing facility that started operations in 2012 will be the second plant where the successful Celerio hatchback will be made.

The production will begin as soon as May 2014 and will cater to the domestic market and the plant will also make the European specific Celerio that is slated to hit the European market later this year. The Celerio’s debut at the Auto Expo 2014 was followed by its second appearance at the Geneva Motor Show held in March. 

The Celerio has received tremendous response in India as the company claims to have received 25,000 bookings for the car since its launch. Maruti also adds that they have been receiving 1,000 bookings per day for the car. While the primary attribute to its success is the pricing, the second is the Maruti name and the third definitely is the AMT transmission. Maruti hasn’t innovated much in terms of technology in India but it is the first to introduce the AMT here and the said variant now comes with a waiting period of six months. While this high waiting period is also attributed to the slow delivery of the system from the AMT supplier, yet it is the most sought-after model in the Celerio range.

Suzuki’s announcement to manufacture the Celerio in Thailand (local and exports to Europe) could be an indication that the car is successful. The manufacturer could have chosen India for its exports to Europe but it is already struggling to meet demand in India. In another contradictory case it could also be due to the uncertainty that looms around Suzuki’s upcoming manufacturing facility in Gujarat which has been facing the heat from investors and the workers. This new plant when operational will produce the Celerio first, followed by the internally codenamed YRA premimum hatchback for India.

Suzuki's new plant in Gujarat

Source: Autocar India