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Informist, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026

 

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--Maruti Suzuki Takeuchi: We are increasing usage of renewable energy
--Maruti Suzuki Takeuchi: Need to ensure safe, green mobility stay affordable
--Maruti Suzuki Takeuchi: Compressed bio gas has strong potential in India
--Maruti Suzuki official: Network stock is 16 days, want it to be 30 days
--CONTEXT: Comments by Maruti Suzuki marketing official Banerjee to media
--Maruti Suzuki official:Positive about festival season sales, to see growth
--Maruti Suzuki official: Would've preferred higher stock ahead of festivals

 

NEW DELHI – Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. currently has a lower network stock than it would have liked heading into the festival season, as the momentum looks strong enough to mirror the growth seen in the previous festival season, the company's senior executive officer of marketing and sales told reporters at a roundtable on the sidelines of the 66th annual conclave of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers here Thursday.

 

The company currently has a network stock of around 16 days, much lower than the 30 days it would have preferred ahead of the festival season. "At festival time, people look forward to buy cars and having a stock of one month is always healthy," Partho Banerjee said. "Nevertheless, our production team, our supply chain teams are working very hard to cater to the market requirement."

 

Maruti Suzuki has struggled to keep up with the surging demand after the cut in goods and services tax a year ago, which has prompted acceleration in its capital expanditure plans. "We don't have a capacity constraint. The market demand is more, so we have set up a (production line)," Banerjee said. "The ramp-up is happening, it will take 3-4 months time."

 

Maruti Suzuki is ramping up capacity to manufacture its electric car e Vitara for the Indian market. It continues to manufacture around 2,000 units a month. "The response (for e Vitara) is very good," Banerjee said. "In fact, we have got pending bookings. But we have got a capacity constraint."

 

"Overall, the industry is doing pretty well despite some geopolitical situations," Banerjee said, adding that the Indian passenger vehicle industry might record sales of 5.3–5.4 million units in the financial year 2026-27 (Apr-Mar). Maruti Suzuki expects the industry to report 10% year-on-year growth in sales in FY27.

 

The company, which is India's biggest passsenger vehicle maker and the market leader in the small car segment, has seen an increase in the share of first-time buyers across segments following the cut in GST on cars. "The share of first-time buyers is going up," Banerjee said. "It is now 54%, which is a very good sign because if motorisation has to happen, the first-time buyer percentage has to increase." The share of first-time buyers in Maruti Suzuki's portfolio has increased by 10% since FY26.

 

CEO's VIEW

Speaking at the automobile industry lobby group's session earlier in the day, Maruti Suzuki's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Hisashi Takeuchi said the company is working towards maintaining the right balance between regulations and affordability. Maruti Suzuki is focusing on sustainable mobility and its multi-powertrain strategy is a part of this principle.

 

"Biofuels like CBG (compressed biogas), compressed biomass, and ethanol play a significant role in reducing our dependance on fossil fuels," Takeuchi said. Maruti Suzuki is working on a research project on hydrogen, which it hopes can become another viable option in the future.

 

Usage of renewable energy, including in-house solar energy and biogas in manufacturing, and transporting vehicles by railways are also part of Maruti Suzuki's drive towards sustainable mobility, Takeuchi said.

 

"India today has the advantage of scale, engineering capability, and a strong supplier ecosystem and a large domestic market," the managing director said. "If we combine these strengths with deeper localisation, technology development, and global competitive quality, India can become one of the world's most important manufacturing and export hubs for automobiles."

 

Thursday, shares of Maruti Suzuki closed flat with a mild positive bias from Wednesday at INR 12,857 on the National Stock Exchange.  End

 

Reported by Anand JC

Edited by Rajeev Pai

 

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