Maruti Suzuki exports 1 millionth car from Mundra Port in Gujarat

Maruti Suzuki has announced a new export milestone as its tally of car exports from the Mundra Port in Gujarat hit one million units. The carmaker noted that the honour of being the 1 millionth Maruti Suzuki car to be exported from the aforementioned port went to a Maruti Suzuki Dzire unit in Oxford Blue colour. The sedan's destination is Chile, where it enjoys immense popularity. 

Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director and chief executive officer, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, “Within a decade of commencement of exports from Mundra, we achieved the significant milestone of shipping one millionth car. At Maruti Suzuki, we have always aligned our exports strategy to keep pace with the changing market scenario. Maruti Suzuki exports are aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship vision of “Make in India”. The efforts by Maruti Suzuki reflect India’s capabilities of manufacturing cars that meet global standards of quality, safety, design and technology."

Also read: Maruti Suzuki S-Presso: What we know so far

The Mundra port primarily serves as the starting point for cars exported to the following Maruti Suzuki export markets: Latin America, Far East, and Europe. The company noted that the Mundra port is its second car terminal port and it started exports from here a decade ago -- in 2009, to be precise. Besides a stockyard, the carmaker also operates a Pre Delivery Inspection (PDI) facility at the Mundra port. At the moment, Maruti Suzuki exports a total of 14 car models, including Maruti Suzuki Celerio, Maruti Suzuki Alto K10, Maruti Suzuki Ignis, Maruti Suzuki Dzire, and Maruti Suzuki Baleno. Oh and if you are wondering about the company's other export port -- well, it also exports vehicles from the Mumbai port.

Even as Maruti Suzuki's exports seem to be doing fine, the carmaker has struggled with a worrisome decline in sales for a quite a while now. In fact, so significant has been this drop that its share in India's passenger vehicles market too registered a decline over the past few months. According to numbers shared by SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers), Maruti Suzuki's overall share in the domestic passenger vehicle segment declined to under 50 per cent between April-August 2019. 

Also read: Maruti Suzuki doesn't think millennials' liking for cabs is that big a factor in the slowdown

The company, much like pretty much everyone else in the automotive industry, has pinned its hope two things: festive season 2019 and a reduction in the GST rate for cars. Unfortunately, if reports are to be believed, the GST Council is unlikely to reduce the rate, primarily because of the loss in revenue the decision will cause.