Japanese agri-equipment firm Kubota is taking cues from Suzuki Motor's strategy to establish India as its global production hub, according to a report by Nikkei Asia. The acquisition of Escorts in 2022, leading to the rebranding as Escorts Kubota, a prominent tractor manufacturer in India, which held the fourth-largest global market share, offered Kubota a crucial foothold in the Indian and international markets, complementing its strengths with Escorts' established presence.
'...the auto industry to get back to 7% to 8% annual growth.' 'High growth in the SUV segment alone will not achieve this, as it is a small market.'
Since the Indian government reduced GST on small cars on September 22, the small car segment's share in Maruti's overall sales has risen to more than 25 per cent, up from 16.6 per cent earlier in FY26.
'In the January-August period, the share of hatchback in the overall PV industry sales was about 22.4 per cent. In the September-October period, the share of hatchbacks has come down to 20.4 per cent. In just October, their share was just 20 per cent. This is simple wholesale data from industry body SIAM.'
Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) will issue equity shares on a preferential basis to parent Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) to acquire 100 per cent stake in the latter's Gujarat plant. This deal is expected to increase the share base of MSIL by about 4 per cent. And consequently, it will raise SMC's shareholding in Maruti by around 1.8 percentage point. "Whether it is in terms of PAT (profit after tax) or earnings per share (EPS) or dividend per share (DPS) of MSIL, the share-swap option will give shareholders a better deal than any other option such as cash payment," MSIL chairman RC Bhargava told reporters during a press conference.
Most of the engines used by Suzuki's two-wheelers in India are manufactured by Maruti at its Manesar plant.
Maruti Suzukisaid it was trying to offer more factory-fitted CNG cars to address environmental concerns
Maruti Suzuki Chairman R C Bhargava admitted the company had "slipped up" by not informing the press on the recall of 100,000 A-Star vehicles, which began last December, even as the market gave a thumbs up to the car maker with shares going up 2.38 per cent to close at Rs 1,368.65.
Maruti Suzuki India is facing stiff resistance from private sector mutual funds and insurance companies, which own almost 7 per cent of the company, for its decision to allow Suzuki to make cars for the Indian car-maker at a proposed plant in Gujarat instead of manufacturing vehicles itself.
Toyota's India unit will also source two cars manufactured by Maruti Suzuki, the Baleno and Brezza, including their hybrid variants, and in return Toyota will offer its Corolla sedan to Maruti.
In absolute terms, both types of cars must cut emissions by about 28-29 g/km. But in percentage terms, the lighter 900-kg car must reduce emissions by 27 per cent, while the 1,500-kg car needs a 22 per cent cut. And the target becomes progressively stringent for both -- but, once again, the tightening is sharper for the 900-kg car than for the 1500-kg car.
Brushing aside concerns raised by proxy advisory firm IiAS on Suzuki's investment in the EV project, Maruti Suzuki chairman RC Bhargava on Thursday asserted that there was nothing in it against the interest of the company and its shareholders as it is part of an earlier arrangement. Countering the criticism from the proxy advisory firm, Bhargava noted that all models produced at Suzuki Motor Gujarat (SMG), including EVs, would be ultimately sold by Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) in the marketplace. IiAS has raised serious questions regarding the decision of the Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) to invest directly in the EV project instead of MSI doing it.
The ceremony for conferring the award will be held at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on November 7, according to a statement by the Embassy of Japan in New Delhi.
Move could be aimed at integrating operations with Indian subsidiary.
The regulatory burden is the highest on small cars, a key segment of the Indian automobile industry and having a uniform tax structure across all segments of vehicles will not augur well for the sector growth, according to Maruti Suzuki India chairman RC Bhargava. He also said India's economic growth rate could be higher if the manufacturing sector grows fast, which 'unfortunately' has remained a laggard despite the best efforts of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre due to implementation gaps at the ground level. "The burden of regulatory changes on the small cars is far higher than the regulatory burden on big cars and that is changing the whole market behaviour.
Maruti Suzuki India will set up a skill development centre in Gujarat, where it is investing Rs 4,000 crore to set up a manufacturing facility, even as it is trying to restore normalcy at its Manesar plant in Haryana.
The investment will be made through a joint venture with Toshiba and Denso. The battery is the most expensive single part of an EV.
The company, which sells every second car in the domestic market, said it expected production and sales to grow between 4 per cent and 8 per cent for the financial year started in April.
Currently, Maruti Suzuki has 14 car brands, but it has decided to expand into some new segments.
Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Thursday said its new manufacturing facility in Haryana, the company's third in the state, would reach peak production capacity of 10 lakh units per annum in the next eight years entailing a total investment of Rs 18,000 crore. The new facility, which would come at a 800-acre site at IMT Kharkhoda in Sonipat district, will entail total investment of Rs 11,000 crore in the first phase with a production capacity of 2.5 lakh units per annum. The first set of vehicles are expected to roll out from the facility in 2025.
Addressing shareholders at the 31st annual general meeting, which started after observing a minute's silence in memory of slain general manager Awanish Kumar Dev, Maruti Suzuki India chairman R C Bhargava said that security cover at Manesar plant will continue till its staff feels secure.
Maruti is trying to move up the segment by focusing on premium cars, SUVs and even trucks.
The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India is neither shifting investments nor jobs from Haryana to Gujarat by shifting production of its compact sedan Dzire, company chairman RC Bhargava said on Tuesday. The company is maximising the efficiency of production at its two plants at Haryana and the parent Suzuki's Gujarat plant, keeping in mind the demand of its multiple models.
The country's largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki India, on Thursday said that "Tata Nano" may have a marginal impact on the sales of its entry level small car Maruti 800 but ruled out cutting its price.
Sales growth of entry-level cars or hatchbacks like WagonR and Alto have seen a decline during the past few years due to changing consumer preference. Maruti Suzuki chairman R C Bhargava had on October 28 said that he does not expect hatchback unit sales to grow in the fourth quarter (Q4FY23) or in the next fiscal year.
India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki plans to ride on the back of new launches in the future to retain its numero uno position in the market place and beat back competition from its peers.
When the first Maruti 800 was introduced in 1983, it was made of almost entirely imported components; in a few years it had been heavily indigenised - although, for years, the older "original" models commanded a premium on the thriving second-hand market.
Removal of mark-ups to be paid by Maruti, other changes could raise funding need to Rs 6,000 crore.
The country's largest car-maker Maruti Suzuki India on Monday said its Manesar plant has stopped functioning, resulting in a production loss of about 1,200 units so far as a workers' strike entered the third day.
The country's largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, on Monday said it has stopped working on LPG models as it will roll out CNG variants of the entire range of its cars from early 2010, the first of which could be its highest selling model Alto.
India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India is planning to launch a new version of its small car Alto, the highest selling model in India, with a bigger engine.
The company would decide on increasing the capacity and investment needed for the same in presence of its parent Suzuki Motor's chairman Osamu Suzuki
High cost of acquisition due to a variety of reasons, including higher GST than all other major countries, is slowing down car demand in the country and unless the Centre and states take steps to reduce it, the industry is unlikely to experience reasonable growth, according to Maruti Suzuki India Chairman R C Bhargava. Addressing shareholders in the company's Annual Report for 2020-21, he said after the devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic hitting the first quarter of FY22, the performance in the next three quarters will largely depend on how effectively people get vaccinated and observe safety protocols.
As the strike at its Manesar plant entered the fifth day on Wednesday, the country's largest car-maker Maruti Suzuki India said there was no question of accepting the demands of the workers.
The Haryana government has agreed to appoint a special prosecutor, K T S Tulsi, to frame charges against those identified in connection with the incident.
The country's largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki, will finalise investment plans for a new plant at its Manesar facility at a board meet of the company in mid-October.
"Our sales have been growing since December 2008. December 2008-July 2009 are great months", Maruti Suzuki India chairman R C Bhargava told reporters in Chennai. He hoped that the next two-three months would yield a double digit growth.
Currently, the new series of engines is being used in the latest models of the Maruti stable -- Estilo, Ritz and the 'A' Star. Asked whether all the entry level cars would be equipped with the KB Series engine, Maruti Suzuki India chairman R C Bhargava told PTI that it could happen over a period of time.
Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) does not anticipate growth in the small car segment because people continue to find these vehicles unaffordable, chairman R C Bhargava said on Wednesday. He said the market had clearly shifted towards the sport utility vehicle (SUV) segment and the company will go in the same direction. The domestic sales of utility vehicles jumped in India by 34.54 per cent to about 2 million units in FY23.
The previous best selling year was 2010 when Maruti managed to sell around 10.6 lakh (1.06 million) units.
