Maruti Suzuki India's (MSI) overall investments will go up to Rs. 61.25 billion (US$ 1,317) during the 2010-13 period, with the company today stating that it will set up a third plant at its Manesar facility at a cost of Rs. 19.25 billion.

Addressing shareholders of Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) at the company's Annual General Meeting, Suzuki Motor Corp Chairman Osamu Suzuki said the new plant at Manesar will have an annual production capacity of 250,000 units and the investment on it would be 35 billion yen.

"With this plant, total output from MSI will be at 1.75 million units," Suzuki said. Currently, MSI has a total annual total output of 1.2 million units per year. The third plant at Manesar is likely to be ready by the end of the 2012 fiscal or early 2013.

Currently, MSI is investing Rs. 17 billion on a second plant at Manesar, which will have an annual capacity of 250,000 units. "The second plant (at Manesar) will be ready by January, 2012," he added. MSI is also investing another Rs. 25 billion on an engine plant and research centre in Rohtak. These two investments were announced in March this year.

With today's announcement of an additional Rs. 19.25 billion investment, the company's total planned investment in the 2010-13 period now stands at Rs. 61.25 billion. At present, MSI which is 54.2 per cent owned by Suzuki, has an annual capacity of 850,000 units at its Gurgaon plant, while the first plant at Manesar can produce 350,000 units annually, with the overall capacity totalling 12,00,000 units per year.

Suzuki said due to production constraints, MSI has been unable to meet demand properly. "Some of our models, we have not been able to properly supply, as we have lot of production issues. We have not estimated the demand for cars at which it has grown," he added.

Besides adding new plants at Manesar, he said MSI will also refurbish its three units at Gurgaon in a phased manner. "Gurgaon is our oldest plant. The plant has since deteriorated and we need to modernise it," Suzuki said.

The company also said it is looking at constructing regional offices at 16 locations. Later, talking to reporters, MSI Chairman R C Bhargava said the company will fund the Rs. 19.25 billion investment through internal accruals.

To a question on when construction of the third unit would commence, he said it would be built simultaneously along with the ongoing second unit to save costs. "At least the civil work would be taken up together. That way, we would save on a lot of cost," he added.

The company, which sells some of the best sellers of the Indian car industry -- like Alto, Swift, DZiRE and WagonR saw its market share fall below 50 per cent for the first time in history this fiscal. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, the market leader sold 282,488 cars during the April-July period this fiscal, representing a 47.68 per cent share in the overall 592,405 units market.

In the comparable year-ago period, MSI had a 53.13 per cent share in the 440,069 units car market, with sales of 233,811 units.