Comments
The country’s largest passenger car maker Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) on Friday said that it has attained cumulative exports of 15 lakh (1.5 million) vehicles.
These vehicles have been exported to over 100 countries, including Europe, Latin America and Africa, the company said.
Earlier this year, the company’s premium hatchback Baleno, manufactured exclusively in India, became the first car to be exported from India to Japan.
The company started exports to Europe in 1987-88, when a small number of cars were sent to Hungary. Thereafter, exports have grown at a steady pace, as new models and markets were added from time to time, the company said.
“Our products like Zen, A-Star, Maruti 800 and Alto have made a mark overseas, including in the most competitive markets of Europe ,’’ KenichiAyukawa, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, MSIL,said.
“Our premium hatchback Baleno, made exclusively in India, is the first car to be exported from India to Japan. It has become a symbol of the Make in India mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and taken India’s exports story to a new level,’’ he added.
Maruti Suzuki’s blockbuster hatch Zen, India’s world car of the 1990s, took the company to many new markets. Exports were bolstered also by the iconic Maruti 800 and later, A-Star.
India’s most popular car brand for over a decade, Alto also has a sizeable presence in the export markets, having clocked over 3.90 lakh sales cumulatively, the company said.
In 2015-16, the top five exported models for the company were Alto, Swift, Celerio, Baleno and Ciaz.
Among destinations, Sri Lanka, Chile, Philippines, Peru and Bolivia emerged as the top markets for Maruti Suzuki export models.
The newly launched light commercial vehicle, Super Carry, is also exported to South Africa and Tanzania and will be exported to SAARC countries in the future.
Although exports business is inherently subject to economic and policy changes in the destination countries, the company has been able to maintain an upward trend in exports over the years, it added.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.