Maruti Suzuki is experiencing a notable surge in SUV sales which are quickly catching up with the sales of its compact cars such as the Baleno and Swift. The popularity of Maruti Suzuki's SUV lineup including models like the Fronx, Grand Vitara, Brezza, and Jimny, continues to drive the company's sales in India.
In fact, Maruti Suzuki has become the largest utility vehicle manufacturer in India, nearly doubling its sales since January 2023. Last month alone, the carmaker sold over 62,000 utility vehicles, which include SUVs like the Brezza, Fronx, Grand Vitara, and Jimny, as well as MPVs like the Ertiga, XL6, and Invicto. Although utility vehicle sales are slightly less than those of smaller cars, they have shown significant growth, contributing to Maruti Suzuki's overall sales of more than 1.75 lakh vehicles in January, marking a five percent increase compared to the same period last year.
In January, Maruti Suzuki sold 62,038 units of utility vehicles across India, a considerable increase from the 35,353 units sold in January last year. This growth can be attributed to the addition of three new utility vehicles to Maruti Suzuki's fleet, namely the Fronx, Jimny, and Invicto. The Brezza remains the top-selling SUV from Maruti Suzuki, while the Ertiga leads the MPV segment.
Maruti Suzuki's third-quarter profit witnessed a significant boost, primarily driven by the popularity of its SUV lineup helping the company surpass the five-lakh sales milestone in the last three months, marking a 7.6 percent increase in overall volumes.
In contrast, the small and compact car segment, which includes Maruti Suzuki's best-selling models like the Baleno, Swift, WagonR, and Alto, has not experienced significant growth recently. However, despite the decline in sales, this segment remains dominant for Maruti Suzuki.
Among other models, Maruti Suzuki sold only 383 units of the Ciaz sedan, while the Eeco contributed 12,019 units. In the commercial segment, Maruti sold 3,412 units. Additionally, Maruti Suzuki's exports have seen growth, with 23,921 units dispatched last month compared to 17,393 units during the same period last year.