Maruti Suzuki's Total Production Drops 4.53 Per Cent in June

In a company filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange, Maruti Suzuki reported a drop in production numbers in June, 2016. At 90,262 units, the automaker's production fell 4.53 per cent; during the same period last year, Maruti produced a total of 94,548 vehicles. Of all the cars in its line-up, production of Maruti Suzuki's compact cars (Ritz, Swift, Celerio, Dzire, and Baleno) was the most affected.

Car sales in June, 2016 was an assortment of varied numbers for manufacturers in India. Some passenger vehicle manufacturers such as Ford and Renault reported gains, many observed a drop in sales. Among the latter category was also India's largest car manufacturer - Maruti Suzuki India (MSI); the company's sales took a beating in June, 2016 due to a handful of reasons. The primary factor was the disruption in component supplies due to a fire at the factory of its top component supplier, Subros Ltd. This was then followed by the bi-annual maintenance shutdown of its facilities.

A drop in Maruti Suzuki's production is rather interesting, considering the fact that 7 Maruti Suzuki cars, including the Vitara Brezza and Baleno, were among the top 10 passenger vehicles in India in May, 2016. Furthermore, the sub-compact SUV has a waiting period of nearly 8-9 months, while that for the premium hathcback lingers at 6 months.

Though the Baleno's production has already been increased to approximately 12,000 units per month, Maruti Suzuki India said that it is toiling to "de-bottleneck the lines and enhance production". Ditto for the Vitara Brezza; media reports claim Maruti Suzuki will increase Vitara Brezza's production to 10,000 units/ month from July.