Maruti Suzuki witnesses dip in domestic sales while exports are on a rise

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Leading Indian carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India has posted its monthly sales for August 2024. The company reported a fall in passenger vehicle sales by 8.35 per cent on a year-on-year basis. Maruti Suzuki reported that the passenger car segment which includes models like the Maruti Suzuki Alto, Dzrire, Swift and Baleno saw a decrease of 18.83 per cent YoY. Meanwhile, the utility vehicle segment grew up to 62,684 units in the month with a growth rate of 6.7 per YoY.

As compared to previous year, the company reported a downfall of 3.13 per cent YoY in sales when looked at the timeframe between April- August. Passenger cars again saw a downfall in the period by 13.78 per cent YoY while the UV segment saw an upstick growth by 14.12 per cent in the same period.

Growing exports

While the company has posed degrowth in the domestic market, the exports market reveal a different story. In August, Maruti Suzuki reported exports of 26,003 units, suggesting a growth of 5.6 per cent on a yearly basis. Meanwhile, from April to August, the company exported 120,548 units as compared to 110,031 units in the same period last year, representing a growth of 9.55 per cent YoY.

Recently, the company started the exports of the Maruti Suzuki Fronx to Japan. The Maruti Suzuki Fronx will be the first India-manufactured SUV offering of the brand to debut in Japan, hence marking a big watershed for Indian operations. The Fronx has been one of the top sellers in India and is already finding its way overseas to many key world markets.

The Suzuki Fronx will receive multiple updates for the Japanese market compared to the India-spec model, especially in terms of equipment. Sold in India with options like 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol and 1.0-litre turbo petrol engines, Japanese Fronx buyers will find a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol mill option.

The drivetrain configuration is one of the main differences, with the Indian model only available as front-wheel drive, while this Japanese version of the Fronx receives Suzuki's AllGrip AWD technology for better grip. The AllGrip AWD system gets a number of off-road driving modes, including Auto, Sport, Snow, and Lock. Also, the rear suspension system has been redesigned to feature a torsion beam setup for housing the AWD system.

The interior of the Japan-spec Fronx will also be different and will boast a dark brown and plum theme layout. It also looks more premium inside the cabin with soft-touch material on the door pads and piano black finish on the door handles, steering wheel and centre console.

The Fronx will also sport a list of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems or ADAS such as lane-keeping assist, auto emergency braking, front parking sensors, auto cruise control, heated seats, electronic parking brake with hill hold, and many others.