Spotted: Maruti Ertiga testing in Malaysia

The CKD kits for Malaysia-spec Proton version will be imported from Indonesia.Suzuki Motor Co. and Malaysian automaker Proton announced a collaboration a few months ago which witnessed in Suzuki exiting the market and handing over its sales and service operations to its new partner. The second major step in the partnership is to market Proton-badged Suzuki models in Malaysia and the duo has already started work on this front. A fully camouflaged Maruti Ertiga (Suzuki Ertiga in Thailand and Indonesia) MPV has been spotted testing in the country, indicating that it would be launched later this year.

Paultan reports that the compact people carrier will be imported from Indonesia in the form of CKD kits and assembled at Proton’s facility. Production of Malaysia-bound kits is reported to commence in the second quarter of 2016. The partnership is looking to sell 1,500 units of the MPV in Malaysia every month.

It’s to be noted that the Ertiga is inspired by the RIII concept which was designed by Maruti design team. India continues to be the primary manufacturing locations for the product.

Coming back to the Malaysian version, the people carrier will be marketed as a Proton product through its well-established network across the country. The 1.4-litre K-Series petrol motor generating 94 PS and 130 Nm of torque will be under the hood.

This article has first appeared in Rushlane.com