Europe: Maruti recalls thousands of A-Star cars

Japanese auto maker Suzuki has recalled several thousand Concept A-Star cars built by its Indian joint venture Maruti Suzuki and marketed in Europe as 'Suzuki Alto' models because of problems with the fuel tanks in some cars.

In Germany alone, 9,244 'Alto' cars have been recalled voluntarily by Suzuki for inspection after some irregularities were detected in the fuel tanks of some cars, a Suzuki International Europe spokesperson told PTI.

It has been noticed that the fuel tanks in some cars could become less tight in the area of fuel pump after a certain period of driving.

Therefore, the gaskets of the fuel pump will be examined at Suzuki's service stations and repaired or replaced if needed at the company's costs, he said.

Around 100,000 'Suzuki Alto' cars sold across Europe since December 2008 are reported to be affected by the recall.

The spokesman added that the cars are being recalled as a precautionary measure and there were no complaints from customers or accidents related to the fuel tank problem.

The 'A-Star' had its world premiere at the New Delhi Auto Expo in January 2008 and since then thousands of cars were sold in India. It was launched in the European market following its international premiere at the Paris Automobile Exhibition in October 2008.

In spite of the recall, Suzuki is continuing the sales of its latest made in India cars in Germany and in other European countries.

The cars involved in the recall are the third generation of 'Alto' models manufactured at Maruti Suzuki's Manesar plant and marketed in Germany.

It is also the first Suzuki Concept car in which the Indian research and development department of Suzuki is involved from the beginning.

In spite of the recession, their sales in Germany surged last year, especially because of a government subsidy given to car owners to replace their old cars with new fuel efficient and low CO2 emission models.

Alto was one of the main beneficiaries of this scheme among the imported cars. The Indian market for passenger cars exceeded 1. 5 million units last year and Maruti Suzuki had a 55 per cent share of the market.

The company aims to expand its production to more than one million units during the current fiscal year.