Maruti Suzuki has unveiled an additional assembly line at its Manesar plant, enhancing the facility’s overall production capability to 9 lakh units annually. This new assembly line is set to bolster the carmaker’s total production capacity by an impressive 1 lakh units per annum. Initially, the focus of this expanded capacity will be on manufacturing the popular Ertiga MPV. However, there’s potential for other models to join the production line in the future, further diversifying plant’s output.
The Manesar facility has played a sig nificant role in Maruti Suzuki’s remarkable journey, contributing over 95 lakh units towards company’s milestone production of 3 crore units. This facility has been instrumental in the manufacturing of several top-selling vehicles including Brezza, Ertiga, XL6, WagonR, DZire, S-Presso, Ciaz and Celerio.
Speaking at the commissioning of the new assembly line, Mr. Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, “Maruti Suzuki is deeply committed to Government of India’s vision of `Make in India’. We aim to nearly double our capacity to 4 million vehicles per annum over the next 7-8 years and this capacity addition of 100,000 vehicles per year is a step towards this goal. It will help us serve our customers faster and enhance our overall capability to manufacture up to 23.5 lakh units per annum.”
Maruti Suzuki | Image: Maruti Suzuki (Representative)
Since its inauguration in January 2007, Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar production facility has been a cornerstone of the company’s manufacturing prowess. With the addition of Plant B in 2011 and Plant C in 2013, the facility has continuously expanded to meet growing demand. Over the year, it has churned out over 95 lakh units, showcasing its integral role in Maruti Suzuki’s production milestones.
With the inauguration of the new assembly line, Maruti Suzuki aims to address the soaring demand of Ertiga, offering relief to prospective buyers grappling buyers with extended waiting periods. As of December 2023, the Ertiga constituted nearly one-third of Maruti’s impressive 2 lakh plus open bookings. The MPV had been experiencing waiting periods ranging from four to six months, with the CNG variant comprising nearly 70 percent of all Ertiga bookings. With the ramping up of production facilitated by the new assembly line, buyers, can anticipate a reduction in waiting times for this popular MPV in the upcoming months.
