Maruti Suzuki Arena has completed seven years of existence in the Indian car market and continues to be home of some of the best-selling passenger vehicle (PV) models in country like WagonR, Swift, Brezza and Ertiga. While all Maruti Suzuki cars were sold under a single retail umbrella for decades since the 1980s, the Maruti Suzuki Nexa retail chain was established in 2015 for a slightly more premium experience while all remaining outlets were brought under the Maruti Suzuki Arena retail channel in 2017.

On its own, Maruti Suzuki Arena retail chain has sold more than 11 lakh units in the seven years of its existence and still has the widest network for any carmaker in India. There are 3069 Arena outlets spread across 2,596 cities in the country. And while Nexa retail chain may have some of the more premium - as well as niche offerings from Maruti Suzuki like Baleno, Grand Vitara and Jimny, it is Arena that contributed to around 68 per cent of overall Maruti Suzuki sales in FY23-24. A large chunk of the credit here would be directed squarely towards models like Wagon-R, Swift, Brezza, Dzire and Ertiga, all of which remain crowd pullers despite the rush for bigger SUVs. “Maruti Suzuki Arena is not only the largest but also the most accessible retail channel in India," said Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing and Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, in a press statement issued by the company. “I am particularly excited with the interest we have received from our young customers, who make up 49% of Maruti Suzuki Arena's volumes."

How is Maruti Suzuki Arena different from Nexa?

No other car manufacturer in the country has two parallel retail chain apart from Maruti Suzuki. The need for establishing Nexa stemmed from the key factor of a growing number of aspirational buyers who were increasingly looking for an elevated sales and post-sales experience. For Maruti Suzuki, the common man's machine, Nexa was established as a premium platform.

But while Nexa on its own has a relatively remarkable journey with around 500 outlets and Maruti Suzuki recently announcing Nexa Studio to improve reach in smaller towns, Arena is the dominant force still. All the entry-level models from the brand, like Alto, S-Presso and Celerio come under Arena while even the enormously popular Brezza sub-compact SUV is sold here. Ertiga remains a dominant force in the MPV segment and a key reason for substantial footfall.

So while the models offered with the Maruti Suzuki badging are different at Nexa and Arena showrooms, the differences also come in the form of sheer reach and scale - both sales and workshops. The company also underlines that while Nexa continues with its premium philosophy, Arena showrooms aren't too far behind and offer ‘best of technology’ and are ‘designed with modern looks to offer a warm, friendly, and comfortable environment for customers.’

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