Maruti Suzuki Says Production Constraints to Continue for Several Months
India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki expects its ongoing production constraints to last for a few more months, a senior executive said, even as demand remains strong following recent tax cuts. The company reported flat domestic sales in January but a sharp rise in exports, highlighting its struggle to keep pace with local demand, with waiting periods for popular mass-market models such as the Wagon R extending beyond a month.
Maruti, a unit of Japan’s Suzuki Motor, is currently running plants on Sundays and public holidays to reduce a backlog of around 175,000 pending bookings. Some production lines are being used flexibly across multiple vehicle segments, while additional capacity is planned to come online in 2026. The company is also evaluating which models could be exported to Europe under India’s trade agreement with the European Union.
In January, Maruti’s domestic sales rose marginally by 0.5% to 174,529 units, as small car sales fell nearly 10% while utility vehicle sales jumped 16% year-on-year. Exports surged 88% to a record 51,020 units, driven by strong demand from markets such as Japan, South Africa and Saudi Arabia. From October to January, domestic sales grew 16.5%, while exports climbed 22%, even as rivals like Hyundai, Tata Motors and Mahindra posted record monthly sales.
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