Gujarat-Made Maruti Suzuki Baleno By Feb 2017; Waiting Period To Nosedive

After months of speculation, country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki Pvt Ltd has confirmed that it will first roll out the Baleno premium hatchback from its upcoming Gujarat plant, beginning February next year.

Addressing shareholders at the company’s 35th annual general meet in New Delhi on Thursday, Maruti Suzuki chairman, RC Bhargava said that the waiting period situation with the Baleno is an ‘unhappy’ one for everyone in the company and the production of the car in Gujarat will help reduce it considerably.

"We have to create capacity so that this kind of mismatch doesn't happen to this extent in the future," he said and added that the only thing which is holding Maruti Suzuki from moving faster is the capacity constraint at its plants.

Having delivered over 80,000 units since its launch last year, the Baleno is yet to cater to around half a lakh assured orders. The waiting period of the premium hatchback currently sits at around 6-8 months in various parts of the country.

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As reported earlier, the company will begin trial runs at the plant by January next year. The Manesar plant will also continue to operate at its usual capacity for the Baleno, given the additional impetus being thrust on exports by the domestic carmaker.

“Baleno has increased our ability to sell cars in Europe and Japan. Exports will play an increasing role as we go forward,” Bhargava said. The car recently became Maruti’s most exported product and the company aims to ship it out to more than 100 countries in the future.

Apart from the Baleno, Maruti’s latest product, the Vitara Brezza is also witnessing similar surge in demand across the country. With waiting periods at close to half a year, the compact SUV could be the next vehicle to be baked in the company’s Gujarat plant that is said to have a capacity of around 15 lakh units a year.

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