Autoliv Awarded by Maruti-Suzuki for first Local Airbag Project in India

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Autoliv India has been presented with the Maruti Suzuki Overall Excellence Gold Award. This award was given based upon Autoliv India’s overall supplier performance and, in particular, the successful launch of the first airbag project in India – the Suzuki A-Star.

The award was presented jointly by Maruti-Suzuki’s Chairman R C Bhargava, and MD & CEO Mr. S Nakanishi in recognition of supplier excellence during the annual supplier conference, attended by more than a hundred supplier companies.

Maruti-Suzuki is India’s largest passenger car manufacturer. The Suzuki A-Star is the first Indian car to have domestically produced airbags (Front & Side) in it. Autoliv supplies all 6 airbags and the steering wheel for A-Star.

“It is a great honor for Autoliv to be recognized with such a prestigious award”, said Jan Carlson, Autoliv’s President and CEO, after the award-winning ceremony in India. “It acknowledges the hard work of our Indian team and the importance of safety for automakers in emerging markets.”.

Autoliv has four manufacturing facilities in India – Bangalore (HO), Gurgaon, Chennai, and Uttaranchal. Apart from manufacturing airbags and seatbelts, it has testing & development facilities for seatbelts and airbags. Since Autoliv India was founded in early 90’s, it has experienced a steady growth of business. Today the company is the clear leader in the Indian seatbelt and airbag markets, with a market share of more than 50%. Major customers include Maruti-Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata, Mahindra, Toyota, GM, Ford, & Nissan and sales totaled approximately $50 million in 2008.