NEW DELHI, India — Japanese automaker Suzuki expects its Maruti Suzuki venture in India will evolve into a major export hub, while accounting for nearly one-third of the company's total global vehicle production.

The next major world car from Maruti Suzuki is the A-Star, a modern successor to the Alto that was unveiled in concept form earlier this year at the Delhi and Geneva auto shows. The A-Star goes into production in late 2008 at the new Manesar plant outside Delhi. Suzuki plans to ship at least 100,000 A-Stars a year to Europe and other overseas markets.

Suzuki has targeted global sales of 3 million vehicles a year and expects that its Indian venture will build close to a million of those vehicles.

According to the Economic Times of India, Maruti Suzuki last year sold 764,942 vehicles, including 53,024 in export markets. The company wants to boost annual sales, including exports, to 1 million units by 2010 and is investing more than $2 billion to upgrade and expand its production facilities.

What this means to you: Look for other major multinational auto companies to follow Suzuki's suit in expanding their Indian export business. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent