Maruti Suzuki To Work Sundays, Holidays As Festive Car Demand Hits Decade High

In response to surging festive demand, Maruti Suzuki's supply chain and production teams will be working on Sundays and holidays to ensure timely deliveries, said Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing and Sales at Maruti Suzuki.

"This is one of the best Navratras that we have seen in the last 10 years,” Banerjee said, highlighting that the company delivered close to 1.65 lakh vehicles in the first eight days of the festival, marking a decade high record for the automaker.

He added that retail sales in September grew by 27.5% year-on-year, and the company is optimistic about touching the 2 lakh delivery soon.

Banerjee attributed the strong momentum to the recent GST rationalisation, which reduced the tax rate on petrol, petrol-hybrid, LPG, and CNG cars from 28% to 18%, making vehicles more affordable for consumers.

Addressing the delivery timeline, he noted that Maruti Suzuki received over 3.5 lakh bookings last month, with 2.5 lakh bookings still pending. While the logistics cycle began on September 22, Banerjee acknowledged that it will take time to stabilise. However, he assured that the company is committed to fulfilling customer expectations by the end of October.

Separately, Maruti Suzuki India reported a 2.7% year-on-year increase in total sales, reaching 1.89 lakh units annually as per Sept. auto data. The growth was primarily driven by a sharp 52% surge in export sales, which stood at 42,204 units. However, on the domestic front, the company saw a 6% decline, with 1.47 lakh units sold in India. Despite the dip in domestic sales, the overall performance remained positive due to strong export momentum.

The company attributed the boost in customer sentiment to the recent GST reforms. This improved sentiment translated into record-breaking deliveries of 1.65 lakh units during the first eight days of Navratri, marking the highest festive delivery volume in the company's history.