It’s a cliche to say that India is a land of contrasts, but it really is the only way to describe the country that’s rapidly becoming one of the world’s automotive manufacturing power houses.

We have just returned from a fascinating visit to India by courtesy of Suzuki Australia. With three other journalists I was there as a guest of Maruti Suzuki, the company that manufactures Suzuki Altos that are sold in Australia. Other models are likely to follow later, though Maruti Suzuki is flat out meeting the demands of its local market at this stage.

Though China is the country most of us think about when low-cost cars are being discussed, in many ways India deserves even more attention than the Chinese. Because the Indians are keen to become a player in their own right with models designed in that country rather than copied (or as the Chinese put it, inspired) from other makers.

We have visited car making facilities in both countries in the last few weeks and have to say that we are more impressed by the attitudes of the Indian people we met than that of the Chinese. Particularly in there plans for design and build quality.

Maruti Suzuki is by far the biggest player in the Indian market. It has been operating since 1983 and began life as a co-operative venture between Suzuki in Japan and the Indian government. Since then the government has sold off much of its holdings. Suzuki retains a 54 per cent share and must be delighted with the decision it made almost 30 years ago to become serious about the Indian market, many years before other car marques discovered the country.

We have to admit to being surprised by the high quality of manufacturing in the two Maruti Suzuki car plants we visited. It’s a mistake to pre-judge these things and we should have been well aware that the Japanese parent company would insist on quality in the Indian factory. Indeed, Maruti Suzuki is keen on beating Japanese Suzuki factory standards - there’s nothing like a good competitive spirit to improve things in this world.

The factory in Manesar, near Delhi is as thorough in the way it produces cars as are any of the dozens of others we have visited in numerous countries, including Japan, Germany, South Korea and of course Australia. India’s ambition is to be one of the world’s leading car makers at some time in the next 10 years and are well aware of the need to build a reputation for doing things correctly.

During our travels to numerous locations we were disturbed by the shocking standard of driving by the Indians. Aggression is the norm, drivers lean on the horn for the slightest of reasons and something like 90 per cent of vehicles carry dents and scratches as a result of numerous crashes. We were told the death rate on the roads is somewhere upwards of 150,000 per year. Which works out to about 410 every day - in other words, during our four-day stay close to 1500 fatalities would have occurred.

Speed is certainly not a factor as most driving is done at speeds below 30 km/h in the crowded areas of India we traversed. Then again if you are a woman sitting side-saddle on the back of a motorcycle and not wearing a crash helmet you greatly increase your chances of a life threatening injury. If a man rides on the pillion seat he is required to wear a helmet, women don’t have to...

To its credit, Maruti Suzuki is working with the Indian government on the vital subject of driver training. One of the dealerships we visited had a driving instructor on the spot to run through the basics of driving using a simulator. On-road training follows that.

All-in-all this visit to the second most populous country in the world was a fascinating one and we will be keeping a close eye on India’s automotive industry as the years pass.