Maruti Celerio For Europe To Be Manufactured In Thailand

By Ganesh

Updated: Friday, March 28, 2014, 10:06 [IST]

Maruti Suzuki Celerio, launched in India at the Auto Expo last month, will soon find a new home in Thailand. Suzuki will begin manufacturing the Celerio hatchback at its Rayong production facility in Thailand, which will be the only second place where it will be produced.

Besides catering to the local market, the Rayong plant will also build export variety of the Celerio for European nations. It may come as a surprise that Suzuki did not opt for its largest subsidy, Maruti Suzuki, to build European spec Celerio hatchbacks. But there is a good reason for that.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki To Introduce Petrol Engine With Turbocharger

The Celerio hatchbacks made in India are fitted with Euro 4 (BS4) compliant engines. Whereas the Thailand facility will only be manufacturing engines that comply with Euro 5 emission standards, which is required for all European vehicles.

The engine to be found in the European spec Celerio are named K10C instead of K10B (Indian version). The European spec Celerio will also get Start/Stop tech, another emission cutting feature that's not equipped in India.

The production of the hatchback in Thailand will begin from May 2014, while export to Europe will start some time during the second half of 2014.

It is not clear whether European spec Celerio will be fitted with AMT automatic transmission or a regular CVT automatic gearbox.