Maruti Suzuki To Manufacture Baleno At Gujarat Plant; Waiting Period To Go Down

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) is the largest passenger car manufacturer in the country, in spite of which the company’s customers are currently facing a long waiting period. The key vehicles to contribute to the waiting list are the popular Vitara Brezza compact SUV and the Baleno hatchback. Maruti Suzuki India Chairman RC Bhargava has expressed his concerns regarding this issue and has mentioned that it is “not good for the future” during the company’s annual general meeting.

In order to address the concern, the production that was supposed to start at the Gujarat plant in May-June 2017 has been preponed by Maruti Suzuki. The production of the Baleno will also be started at the Gujarat plant early next year. The hike in productivity also comes in line with the company’s aim to achieve an annual sales target of two million by 2020.

Out of Maruti Suzuki’s current product portfolio, the Vitara Brezza and the Baleno face the highest waiting period of no less than six months. Demand for the two vehicles has well exceeded what Maruti Suzuki had expected.

During the annual general meeting, RC Bhargava, Maruti Suzuki India Chairman, said: "Everybody in the company recognises that this is not a happy situation and causes not only considerable customer inconvenience but is not good for the future of the company, to continue to operate in a manner where a product remains short of supplies."

MSI has also mentioned that with the corrective measure being taken to reduce the waiting period of its products, it will also ensure that this scenario does not occur again in the future. At the same time, care will be taken to prevent over-production to prevent excess stock. Subsequently, the company is in the process of starting the second production line at the Gujarat plant.