The country’s largest car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki has said that in the near future, it will focus more on sport utility vehicles or SUVs and CNG-powered models than on the smaller car models or hatchback segment.
The auto giant’s Chairman R.C. Bhargava said that the company will work upon launching more SUV and CNG model line-up, while reducing the market share of its small car segment significantly to 65%. The business currently holds a nearly 70% market share.
Maruti Aggresive On SUVs
The reason behind this move, as given by the automaker’s Chairman is that the small car hatchback segment is witnessing a degrowth while the SUV segment has been logging a major growth momentum.
“Next year, there will be degrowth in the hatchback segment. The purchasing power of the hatchback segment has been affected and hence, is not growing. The production capacity will come down from 70% to what the market needs,” said Bhargava.
He added that the decline in the small car sector has been going on since the past three years, with additional inflationary pressures only making the conditions for the segment worse.
However, this is not to sideline that hatchbacks are indeed a major section and revenue provider/booster of Maruti Suzuki India.
New SUVs Launching
Further, speaking upon CNG models of the carmaker, Bhargava said that MSI will launch more CNG-powered models in the near future, which will depend upon the waiting period for the existing ones.
This is because CNG models are more economical than the petrol or diesel ones, especially amid rising fuel costs.
Bhargava said that the auto giant will be increasing its offerings and newer models at the upcoming AutoExpo in Jan 2023 in Delhi.
The new lineup during this expo will include two SUVs, a new Maruti Baleno Cross YTB and the Maruti Jimny and a new C-segment MPV.