New Delhi, Nov. 7 -- Invoking the spirit of late icons Ratan Tata and Osamu Suzuki in a letter that blended nostalgia with policy urgency, Maruti Suzuki's managing director, Hisashi Takeuchi, has called for collaboration to make entry-level cars affordable for two-wheeler users in view of upcoming, stringent emission norms.

Pertinently, the letter was written to Shailesh Chandra, president of industry lobby Siam and managing director of Tata Motors PV (passenger vehicles). The two companies have been at loggerheads in drafting a response to the government's latest draft of the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency III (CAFE III) norms, which has delayed a unified industry response to the government.

In the same letter, Takeuchi also offered...