1983 to 2024: Maruti Suzuki touches 3 crore production milestone in 40 years

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Maruti Suzuki has been the dominant force in the Indian car market for four decades and while car models have come and gone, the company has held on t

The first customer unit of the M800 (Maruti 800) model which is displayed at the brand centre of Maruti Suzuki India headquarters at Vasant Kunj, in New Delhi. (PTI)

Maruti Suzuki India has announced it has crossed three crore milestone in terms of cumulative production since it began production processes in the country back in December of 1983. Underlining its mammoth lead over all other carmakers in the country, Maruti Suzuki highlighted that the production milestone was achieved from its facilities in Gurugram, Manesar (Haryana), and Hansalpur (Gujarat). Impressively, Maruti Suzuki has emerged as the fastest among all Suzuki production bases to reach this milestone, accomplishing it in 40 years and four months.

Maruti Suzuki achieved a key milestone of 10 lakh units in production by 1994, just 11 years after starting production. The initial thrust was powered by the M800 or Maruti 800 model that is often seen as the model that brought about a revolution in the personal-car-buying market in the country. The company would eventually reach the one crore production mark in April of 2005, followed by two crore mark in July of 2018. Subsequently, Maruti Suzuki produced the next one crore (three crore overall) vehicles this year.

Alto
Maruti Suzuki Alto is the best-selling car in India with nearly 60 lakh units sold over past several decades. (Alto )

Out of the total, over 2.68 crore vehicles were manufactured at the company’s facilities in Haryana, while over 32 lakh vehicles were produced at Suzuki Motor Gujarat, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL). The iconic M800 played a significant role in reaching this milestone, contributing over 29 lakh units. Other successful models that have contributed significantly include the Alto 800, Alto K10, Swift, Wagon R, Dzire, Omni, Baleno, Eeco, Brezza, and Ertiga.

Also Read : Maruti Suzuki sees robust SUV sales growth, yet strives for more. Here’s Why.

Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India Limited, highlighted the company’s commitment to ‘Make in India,’ attributing their success to the dedicated workforce and value chain partners. He stated, “We remain committed towards ‘Make in India’ and have been strengthening our operations in the country, catering to domestic as well as global markets. We contribute nearly 40 per cent to the total vehicle exports from India.” The Company commenced exports in 1987.

What does the future hold for Maruti Suzuki?

Takeuchi further outlined the company’s future plans, including investments to increase annual production capacity to 4 million units by FY 2030-31. “Working towards this, we will set up two new greenfield manufacturing plants with a capacity of 10 lakh units each at Kharkhoda, Haryana, and Gujarat. We will also expand our range of models from the current 18 to 28 by FY 2030-31,” he said.

Currently, Maruti Suzuki sells 18 models through NEXA, ARENA, and Commercial retail channels. The company also exports its product range to nearly 100 countries globally. Maruti Suzuki closed the last financial year (FY 2023-24) with sales of 1,759,881 units of passenger vehicles, marking its highest ever sales and a 9.5 per cent year-on-year growth.

First Published Date: 03 Apr 2024, 12:44 PM IST

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