New Delhi: India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India Limited is planning to expand its presence in the SUV segment in the coming days. The carmaker has announced that it will invest over Rs 7,000 crore this year, which will be used for the development of new SUV models, among other areas.
Maruti clarified its SUV plans earlier this year while launching the new generation Brezza. Just before the festive month, Grand Vitara was one of the biggest launches of Maruti Suzuki. In the upcoming SUV, Maruti is reportedly planning a three-row SUV as well. Maruti currently manufactures over 22 lakh cars every year at its existing manufacturing plants across the country. Suzuki’s facility is also included in Gujarat. The Manesar and Gurugram plants in Haryana produce about 15.5 lakh units annually.
Maruti will make more than 2.5 lakh cars every year
Maruti’s 7,000 crore investment will also be used for the construction of a new manufacturing plant near Sonipat in Haryana. Maruti had announced an investment of Rs 11,000 crore in the first phase of the Sonipat plant. The Kharkhoda plant will be its third factory in the country. Maruti aims to make it operational in the next three years and is expected to produce around 2.5 lakh units annually in the first phase.
Maruti currently has a backlog of 4.12 lakh vehicles
The company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Ajay Seth said that work has started on the new plant in the Sonipat district. Seth said that after the success of both Brezza and Grand Vitara, Maruti is now keen to introduce more models in the SUV segment. However, supply chain issues have affected Maruti’s production this year. It failed to manufacture around 35,000 cars in the current year due to a lack of electronic components. At the end of the second quarter, Maruti currently has a backlog of 4.12 lakh vehicles. Its latest models, which also include the Brezza and Grand Vitara, have pending deliveries of around 1.3 lakhs.
