Maruti Suzuki India begins commercial production at Kharkhoda facility in Haryana

New Delhi: In a further boost to domestic manufacturing, Maruti Suzuki India on Tuesday said it has started commercial production at its Kharkhoda facility in Haryana.

The foundation stone for this facility was laid by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2022 via a virtual mode.

To begin with, the Kharkhoda facility will have an annual production capacity of 250,000 units and produce the compact SUV Brezza, said the automaker in a statement.

“With this, Maruti Suzuki, including Suzuki Motor Gujarat Private Limited, the wholly owned subsidiary of Maruti Suzuki, will have a total annual production capability of 2.6 million units,” the company informed.

Last week, the Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan, the parent company of Maruti Suzuki India, announced a new mid-term plan with a “rethink” in its strategy as “the business environment has changed due to declining market share in India” and the growing electrical vehicles segment.

Maruti Suzuki aims to create a manufacturing capacity of producing 4 million cars annually to reclaim a 50 per cent market share in India and use the country as a global export hub as well.

In its new mid-term plan for 2025-30, the company has identified India as its “most important market”.

The auto major plans to expand its EV lineup starting with the e-Vitara, and is aiming to launch four new EV models by FY30 in a segment where its rivals like Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra already have a varied EV portfolio in India.

Maruti Suzuki is currently exporting three lakh vehicles from India annually. By the end of this decade, it is targeting the export of 7.5-8 lakh units per year.

Suzuki Motor plans to invest 1,200 billion yen (about Rs 7,000 crore) as capital expenditure towards production, new models, carbon neutrality and quality measures.

—IANS