Mumbai: Maruti Suzuki India said on Thursday it is likely to raise the price of its entry-level sedan Swift DZire in the next few weeks to offset high input costs.

"The company is likely to revise the introductory prices in the next few weeks due to high cost of raw materials, but nothing has been decided so far," Maruti Suzuki's Managing Director Shinzo Nakanishi said on the sidelines of the launch of DZire here.

"Prices of not only steel, but aluminium copper are rising and it is affecting the margins of car makers," he said.

Based on the Swift platform, Maruti has priced this entry-level Sedan in Mumbai from Rs 4.70 lakh for petrol and at Rs 5.60 lakh for diesel (ex-showroom), he added.

"With the high cost of manufacturing prices, we may have to revise the introductory prices in the next few weeks," he said.

The interest rates are high, financing is difficult, raw material costs are going up and the Sensex is bearish, in such a situation one has to find some alternative to sustain, he said.

"The company aims to cut costs and increase the volume productivity to take advantage of economies of scale," he added.

"Many of our customers are not able to get an entry level sedan. The year 2007-08 will be the best year as Maruti will become a leader in the A3 segment," he said.

If demand arises from neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan the company might think of export but not into any other country.

Source : PTI