Maruti Suzuki placed big bets on updating its SUV portfolio and this has helped it enormously against rivals.
Maruti Suzuki on Monday announced it had sold over 20 lakh units in calendar year 2023 and that this is its highest ever in the 12-month period. This figure includes sales in the domestic Indian market and includes exports of 2.69 lakh units as well.
Maruti Suzuki, the country’s largest carmaker, sold 1.06 lakh units in the month of December and exported another 26,884 units in the same month, a decline of 1.28 per cent when compared to figures from December of 2022. But its overall performance through the course of 2023 is impressive with models like Grand Vitara mid-size SUV, Brezza sub-compact SUV and Dzire sedan powering prospects. The popularity of Fronx crossover SUV, launched early 2023, has also been a major boost even if the company’s smaller offerings like Alto and S-Presso aren’t exactly faring as strongly as they once did. This is largely due to the overall small car segment going through a patchy phase.
The two entry-level mini cars combined managed to find just 2,557 takers compared to 9,765 units in December of 2022. The combined performance of compact cars like Baleno, Celerio, Ignis WagonR and Swift was also down from 57,502 units in December of 2022 to 45,741 units last month. But the thrust is coming from utility vehicles, a subsegment that also includes Ertiga, XL6 and Invicto.
Watch: Maruti Suzuki Fronx SUV: First Drive Review
Maruti Suzuki may have ditched diesel engines entirely but its decision to concentrate on the SUV body type has paid it dividends. The company launched the five-door Jimny earlier in 2023 and even if it didn’t exactly fly off the proverbial shelves, the lineup of other SUVs are now a common sight on Indian roads. The company maintains a solid lead over all of its other rivals in the Indian car market and even if its small vehicles are still expected to only get lukewarm response in comparison to better times in the past.
First Published Date: 01 Jan 2024, 13:44 PM IST