Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) has announced its automobile production, Japan sales and export numbers for September 2017. As per the data revealed, the Japanese carmaker’s global production volume at 288,116 units (+106.5% YoY) is the highest-ever for the month of September as well as the first half of FY2018, as a result of an increase in both Japan and overseas production. 

Maruti Suzuki India, the jewel in SMC’s crown, has contributed 150,216 units or 52.13 percent to this September 2017 total. For Maruti, its September production was a 2.6 percent YoY growth. According to SMC, the record production level in September is due to production increases in India and Pakistan.

Production in Japan rose 124 percent YoY to 84,992 units, due to  an increase in production for both domestic and export markets. 

April-September 2017 production
Maruti Suzuki India's strong contribution is also evident in the first six months of the ongoing fiscal year FY2018 (April-September 2017). Like the record output in September, SMC, which saw total global production volume of 1,617,000 units (+110%) due an increase in output in Japan and India, also notched a new high for the half-year FY2018. Maruti Suzuki India has contributed 865,169 units or 53.50 percent. As a result of strong domestic demand, Maruti Suzuki India has been running its plants in India at optimum capacity as demand surges for recently launched and popular models like the Baleno and Vitara Brezza in addition to the sustained demand for models like the Alto, Wagon R, Swift and Ertiga, among others. 

Maruti Suzuki headed for record sales in FY2018
In the first six months of FY2017-18 (April-September 2017), India’s largest carmaker has sold a total of 886,689 units (+15.6%), comprising 825,832 domestic sales (+17.1%) and 60,857 export (-1.1%).

At present, the company has an overwhelming 50.43 percent of the passenger vehicle market and 56.56 percent of the passenger car market. In UVs, its market share stands at 28.24 percent. Importantly, in the first half of FY2018, the company has grown its market share across all vehicle categories. 

In FY2017, the company had sold a total of 1,568,603 units. Given the current pace of its sales in the domestic market, Maruti should easily surpass this number. As is known, the company is gunning for 2 million sales annually by the year 2020. And it has 2.5 million sales in its crosshairs by FY2023.