Maruti Suzuki is on track to see growth of more than 10% this year in the shipment of its highest-selling premium car ever, the Vitara Brezza.
In the first seven months of the year, it has sold 95,000 units of mini SUV, or 13,571 units per month.
Last year, it had sold an average of 12,333 units per month, which means that it has been able to report an increase of 10% this year.
The number also makes it one of the highest selling cars in India, if not the highest.
The higher number has been possible, said the company, due to the coming online of its parent Suzuki’s factory in Gujarat this year.
“With the Suzuki Motor Gujarat plant operational at its full capacity of 2.5 lakh units annually in Gujarat, we are able to increase the output,” said R.S. Kalsi, head of marketing and sales at India’s largest car maker.
The Vitara Brezza is India’s highest selling SUV, and is priced around Rs 8-10 lakhs ex-showroom.
The success of the Brezza almost singlehandedly enabled Maruti Suzuki to overtake Mahindra & Mahindra as India’s biggest SUV maker.
However, the high demand has also meant that customers have to wait for weeks to get delivery of their vehicle, giving an opening to competitors like Nexon from Tata Motors.
However, said Kalsi, the higher production numbers should help cut down the waiting period.
“We are confident that with the reduced waiting period, we will be able to enhance the car buying and ownership experience of our customers,” he said.
Launched in March 2016, Maruti Suzuki’s Vitara Brezza was an instant hit as it combined the availability and trust of India’s largest car maker with a decent design and an affordable price tag.
The company was able to achieve the fastest 3 lakh sales mark in the SUV segment in 28 months.
Maruti Suzuki has sold over 3.57 lakh units of Vitara Brezza cumulatively since launch.
In May 2018, the company introduced its affordable alternative to variable transmission — Auto Gear Shift, which has met with decent uptake.
“Auto Gear Shift has received overwhelming response from customers with its penetration as high as 49% in Mumbai and 39% in Delhi,” the company said.
Paradoxically, the biggest competition to the Brezza is from other models of Maruti Suzuki, such as the recently launched Dzire and Swift 2018 models.