Suzuki to supply MMC with up to 12,000 cars yearly

The new vehicle, called Maven, will go on sale on Thursday, MMC said in a statement. The car fits the body produced at Suzuki's local subsidiary with a 1.5-litre gasoline engine produced by MMC' local affiliate.

The deal marks the second joint project between the two auto makers in Indonesia, where they co-developed a compact commercial vehicle that was launched there in 1991.

MMC, Japan's only unprofitable car maker, said it expected to attract new customers in the country.

Suzuki, like other Japanese auto makers, is aggressively expanding its overseas production capacity, notably in Indonesia and Hungary. Its production volumes hit record highs in June.

The vehicles will be sold via MMC's Indonesian distributor P.T. Krama Yuha Tiga Berlian Motors.

Shares in MMC were up 1.89 percent at 162 yen in late trade, while Suzuki was up 2.56 percent at 1,964 yen. The Nikkei share average <.N225> was up 1.13 percent.

Source: Reuters