So How Many Platforms Does Maruti Have?

Automotive coverage done by day-to-day newspapers looks to be getting absurder by the day. Most of our coverage trusts on 'getting a byte from some senior executive' and then 'weaving a tall narrative around it'. There is very small research, no apprehension about the operation of the industry and simply no regard for facts. One of the prima concern dailies today studies on Maruti-Suzuki bringing in the SX4 sedan. Nothing incorrect in that and the piece looks to be well written till I attain the followers paragraph:

"MUL have also brought in its 4th platform with the introduction of the 1.6 liter SX4 sedan, which is pitted against the Honda City, Hyundai Verna, General Motors's Optra and John Ford Motor's Escort. This platform will be the alkali to present all MUL's new larger cars."

WTF???

Isn't the SX4 Maruti's 5th platform? And John Ford Escort? That died about a decennary back. A tired, overworked author or one too lazy to check up on facts?

It acquires better additional down the story. The author additional claims: MUL currently have three platforms. One is used to fabricate the M- 800 and Swift. The Esteem is manufactured from the 2nd platform, and the Alto, WagonR and Zen Buddhism Estilo, are manufactured from the third.

Manufacturing the micro-sized 800 (of early 80s vintage) and the sub-compact sized Gustavus Franklin Swift (circa 2005) from the same platform is quite an technology deed for the writer!

The lawsuit looks to be a quotation mark by Maruti's MD, Jagdish Khattar, being lost in translation. What he meant:

All hereafter theoretical accounts will be based on our three existent platforms, as in the Alto platform, the Gustavus Franklin Swift platform and the SX4 platform. The 800 platform and the Esteem-Versa platform are old 1s and will decease their natural death.

Yet another concern day-to-day reported: The new SX4 sedan is the 3rd platform added to the stable of Maruti, with one for autos like for Alto and Zen Buddhism Estillo and WagonR, and another for Swift.

Ummm, you missed the other models.