High- end audio for low- end cars

If you want proof that carmakers of every stripe are determined to give their models more appeal, news out of India that cut- price Suzuki engineering subsidiary MarutiSuzuki is looking to fit its billybasic, emerging market offerings with high- end audio systems must surely be it.

Maruti- Suzuki is apparently in talks with US- based audio wizard Harman Kardon to have as- yetunspecified models within its range fitted with the sort of stereos we would usually associate with range- toppers from MercedesBenz, Volvo, BMWand Jeep.

Should the deal go through, the next generation of lowly Ignis ( albeit a pumped- up version with aggressive alloys and a body kit designed to appeal to fashionconscious youth desperate to shed their disposable income) will reportedly be the first MarutiSuzuki to get top- class sounds.

has reported Maruti- Suzuki has been desperate to join the upmarket brigade for a while, so perhaps high- end audio in appropriately specced models could be the starting point in changing public perception of its wares.

In addition to not- verysuccessfully- crash- tested models you’ve never heard of, such as the Omni, Ertiga, DZire and Zen, Maruti- Suzuki also manufactures cars with more familiar nameplates — Swift, Celerio, SX4 — but all with a more pricesensitive vibe than Kiwi buyers might traditionally seek out.

So why would Harman Kardon be in talks with this budget manufacturer?

Ah, that would be something to do with the rapidly increasing Indian middle class, which is expected to number 113 million households by 2025. That’s quite a bit of discretionary spend.

And as for little Maruti- Suzuki? It commands about 47 per cent of the Indian passenger car market. So yes, that’s why. Perhaps Harman Kardon should be cosying up to Maruti- Suzuki, not the other way round.