Maruti Suzuki expects to end current fiscal with 3,700 sales outlets

Maruti Suzuki India expects its sales network to touch the 3,700-mark by the end of this fiscal amid a push to ramp up production capacity at its Manesar-based plant by 1 lakh units to cater to enhanced demand, according to a senior company official.

The country's largest carmaker on Friday crossed the 3,500 car sales outlets mark, more than doubling it from 1,300 dealerships a decade ago.

The auto major inaugurated its 3,500th outlet, a Nexa sales unit, in Hyderabad on Friday.

Maruti Suzuki India currently has presence in around 2,250 cities and towns in India. The company added 237 sales outlets in 2021-22 and further 170 outlets between April-October this fiscal year.

"We are likely to touch the 3,700 outlets mark by March-end," Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Shashank Srivastava told PTI when asked about the company's network expansion plans.

The company's push to enhance sales infrastructure across the country reflects the expected increase in penetration of cars in a growing economy like India, he added.

"Now OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), including Maruti Suzuki, have portfolios of cars that cater not only to urban centres but smaller towns and rural areas as well," Srivastava said.

MSI is looking to increase its Manesar plant production capacity by 1 lakh units before its Sonipat facility commences operations in 2025.

Currently, MSI has a cumulative production capacity of over 15 lakh units per annum at both Manesar and Gurugram plants. It additionally has access to 7.5 lakh units from parent Suzuki Motor's facility in Gujarat.

The company has also commenced work at the new facility in Kharkhoda in Haryana. The plant is expected to be operational by 2025 with an installed production capacity of 2.5 lakh units in the first phase.

MSI Managing Director and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said the 3,500 sales outlet milestone coincides with the 40 years of Suzuki's partnership with the people of India.

"It is estimated that only 3 per cent people own vehicles in the country. This presents us an opportunity for growth, and offers mobility to those who aspire to buy a four-wheeler," he added.

MSI currently sells new cars through three kind of outlets -- Arena, Nexa and Commercial (Super Carry).