Maruti Suzuki Opens New Assembly Line at Manesar Plant, Adds 1 Lakh Unit Production Capacity

Maruti Suzuki has opened a new assembly line at its Plant A in Manesar (Haryana), adding a capacity of 1 lakh units per year. This comes as part of Maruti Suzuki's plans to nearly double their capacity to 40 lakh (4 million) vehicles per annum over the next 7 to 8 years. With the new assembly line, the total capacity of the Manesar plant now stands at 9 lakh units per annum, thereby enhancing the company’s overall annual capacity to 23.5 lakh (2.35 million) units.  

Maruti Suzuki opened its Plant A at Manesar in 2007, with Plant B and Plant C joining in 2011 and 2013, respectively. The Manesar facility has crossed the 95 lakh-unit production mark in India. It currently manufactures models such as the Wagon R, S-Presso, Celerio, Brezza, XL6, Ciaz, Dzire, and Ertiga. Speaking of the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, the MPV becomes the first vehicle to roll off the new assembly line, which might bring respite to prospective buyers in relation to extended waiting periods. As of December 2023, the Ertiga recorded 67,000 open bookings, accounting for nearly one-third of the company's 2 lakh plus open bookings.

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga: Engine, Price

Under the hood, the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga gets a 1.5-litre K15C DualJet Smart Hybrid petrol engine that develops 101.6bhp at 6,000rpm and 136.8Nm of peak torque at 4,400rpm. While a five-speed manual transmission is standard, the automatic versions use a six-speed torque converter automatic transmission. Also available is a CNG variant that makes 87bhp and 121Nm of torque and comes mated to a manual gearbox.

The Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is available in four variations: LXi, VXi, ZXi, and ZXi, with prices starting at Rs 8.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). It comes in seven exterior colour options – Pearl Metallic Autumn Red, Dignity Brown, Metallic Magma Grey, Pearl Metallic Oxford Blue, Pearl Arctic White, Splendid Silver, and Pearl Midnight Black. In the MPV segment, it rivals the Kia Carens, Renault Triber, and Hyundai Alcazar. 

Maruti Suzuki: Future Plans

Maruti Suzuki plans to bring three new products to the Indian market, with one among them being an electric SUV. Set to launch in 2024 and beyond are the brand-new evX as well as the fourth-generation Swift and Dzire. While the eVX will be the company's first born-electric SUV, the other two will be upgrades to existing models.