Maruti ramps up production of Vitara Brezza
New Delhi: The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Tuesday said it has ramped up the production of its compact SUV Vitara Brezza to reduce waiting period of the model. The company has increased production of the vehicle by 10 per cent to 94,000 units during April-October period of the current fiscal as compared with same period of 2017-18. “With the Suzuki Motor Gujarat plant operational at its full capacity of 2.5 lakh units annually in Gujarat, we are able to increase the output,” MSI senior executive Director (Marketing and Sales) RS Kalsi said in a statement. At present, the model has a waiting period of four-six weeks. The auto major is confident that with the reduced waiting period, it will be able to enhance the car buying and ownership experience of its customers, he added. Last fiscal, MSI sold over 1.48 lakh units of Vitara Brezza. During the first seven months (April-October) of 2018-19, the company has clocked sales of around 95,000 units of the compact SUV. The company has sold over 3.57 lakh units of Vitara Brezza cumulatively since its launch in March 2016.
India slips two places to 53rd position on global talent ranking; Switzerland on top
New Delhi: India has slipped two places to rank 53rd on a global annual talent ranking released by IMD Business School Switzerland on Tuesday, while the top slot has been retained by the Alpine nation itself. Within Asia, Singapore has topped the charts with a global 13th place on the list that ranks 63 countries in developing, attracting and retaining talent. China is ranked lower at 39th “because of its difficulties in attracting foreign skilled workers paired with a level of public expenditure in education that is below the average of other advanced economies”. Regarding India, the renowned business school said its position has declined from 51st in 2017 to 53rd this year. “On one hand, the country performs above the average in terms of the quality of its talent pool (Readiness factor, 30th position). On the other, the quality of its educational system and the lack of investments in public education heavily penalise the talent potential of the country (Investment and Development factor, 63rd),” it said. The rankings are based on three factors: Investment and Development, Appeal, and Readiness. These factors include indicators that capture the resources invested in developing local talent, the extent to which a country attracts and retains talent, and the quality of skills available in the talent pool. While Switzerland has topped the global ranking for the fifth year in a row, it is followed by Denmark, Norway, Austria and the Netherlands in the top-five. At 6th place, Canada is the only non-European nation in the top-ten, which also includes Finland (7th), Sweden (8th), Luxembourg (9th), and Germany (10th). The Slovak Republic (59th), Colombia (60th), Mexico (61st), Mongolia (62nd), and Venezuela (63rd) are the last countries in the ranking. Among BRICS nations, Brazil is ranked 58th, South African 50th and Russia 46th.