The battle for the small car is getting hotter. Soon after the Tatas stunned the world with a Rs 1 lakh car, Nano, Hyundai stated its intention to come out with a car that could cost less than Rs 2 lakh and hit the road by 2011. And now, auto biggie Maruti-Suzuki too is ready with Its small car. The little car could hit the road, they say, as early as the end of this year or early 2009.

The Suzuki car will come closest to rival Nano. It will sport a Suzuki 660cc engine – as against Nano’s 623cc – and wear a tag of around Rs 1.5 lakh on road (that is, excluding insurance) – a little higher than Nano, which is expected to be Rs 1.25 lakh on road. The car might be called ‘Suzuki Cervo’.