Maruti Suzuki India, India’s largest passenger vehicle producer, has crossed a significant milestone of cumulative sales in the Indian market of 20 million passenger vehicles, 37 years after it started selling cars in December 1983. On December 14, 1983, the company rolled out its first car, the iconic Maruti 800.
While the first 10 million sales took about 29 years, in a record period of eight years, the next 10 million PVs were sold, with the last 5 million coming in just three years, making it the only Indian carmaker to clock 20 million sales. Maruti put the country on wheels to put it briefly.
FY1995: 1 million
FY2006: 5 million
FY2012: 10 million
FY2017: 15 million
FY2020: 20 million
Kenichi Ayukawa, MD, and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India said, “For Maruti Suzuki, as well as our distributors and distributor partners, this milestone is a great achievement. We are grateful for the enormous trust that the customers have placed in us, long-lasting partnerships with our stakeholders, as well as the government’s support. Maruti Suzuki has been incorporated with a mission to put India on wheels where every Indian family can fulfill their dream of owning a car to which we continue to work.
He added, “We are committed to bringing value to our customers ‘ lives and enjoying them through our global technologies, with a focus on security and superior quality. This is complemented by an extensive network of sales and after-sales services. While Maruti Suzuki continues to contribute to the Indian economy and create jobs across the value chain, the company is committed to returning to society. In the areas of community development (health, education, water and sanitation, infrastructure), road safety and skill development, Maruti Suzuki continues to invest in CSR activities.
In line with the environmental protection and lower emission target of the state. In addition to eight BS VI models, Maruti Suzuki introduced factory-fitted CNG vehicles as well as Smart Hybrid vehicles well ahead of the timelines. It plans to introduce a small EV for the Indian market together with its parent, Suzuki Motor Corporation. Currently, 50 EV prototypes across the country are being tested on the road to check their real-life performance in multiple terrains and varied climatic conditions.
The landmark of 20 million domestic sales comes a year and a half after hitting the 20 million production plateau.
20 million production milestone in 34 years, 5 months
Maruti Suzuki India reached a milestone of 20 million units of sales on June 4, 2018. The Alto was the most developed model with about 3.17 million units out of the 20 million units. The 20 millionth milestone version is a Swift hatchback produced at the Gujarat plant of SMC.
Start of production: December 1983
1 million units: March 1994
5 million units: April 2005
10 million units: March 2011
15 million units: May 2015
20 million units: June 2018
Top 5 models in 20 million produced
Maruti Alto: 3.17 million
Maruti 800: 2.91 million
Maruti Wagon R: 2.13 million
Maruti Omni: 1.94 million
Maruti Swift: 1.94 million
Maruti Suzuki India remains the market leader in photovoltaics and has a market share of 49.60% in the ongoing fiscal year. After a long time, new entrants in the Indian PV market, especially the SUV market, saw Maruti’s share drop below the 50% mark. Hyundai Motor India, team No. 2 has a market share of 18 percent.
As India Auto Inc. is preparing to enter 2020, a year that will see the entry into force of stringent BS-VI emission standards, Maruti Suzuki will also exit making diesel engine cars, a move that will see some of its popular cars affected, to the delight of the competition. But the company is known to be a fighter, so expect some surprises to come up with it.
