Maruti Exports Surge 59% to 49,872 Units in Oct Despite West Asia Disruption Worsening

Maruti Suzuki’s exports surged nearly 60% year on year to 49,872 units in October but the West Asia crisis continues to disrupt shipments. According to Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer, Corporate Affairs at Maruti Suzuki, the West Asia situation has “actually slightly worsened” and even the alternate routes being used to bypass the conflict are now facing problems. West Asia accounted for about 12% of the company’s exports before the crisis; Bharti said the current contribution is “certainly lower than the past.”

“Having said that, the customers in those countries are still buying cars and we are still finding ways of reaching them through alternate routes. The company’s 60% October growth does have an element of delayed shipments and container shortages, even as the underlying export business remains strong. The challenges continue. This is all about beating external challenges,” he said. 

Maruti Suzuki exports to 120 markets globally, allowing it to offset weakness or disruption in individual markets and keep overall volumes relatively protected. “And the good part is that we are diversified across 120 markets of the world. So, we have leverage. We can ensure that our total export numbers are de-risked,” Bharti said.

He said that Maruti’s export performance could have been stronger had the company not been dealing with the logistical constraints created by the conflict.

Despite the disruption in West Asia, Maruti’s overall export performance remains strong. Bharti said the company had exported nearly 4.2 lakh vehicles in the calendar year so far, already exceeding its total exports for the whole of calendar year 2025.

“So, in 10 months this year, we did more than what we did in the entire 12 months in the previous calendar year,” he said. The company also held a 51% share of India’s passenger vehicle exports in the first half of the year, according to Bharti.

“Maruti exported more cars than all the other manufacturers put together. We have a similar 51,000 number in e-Vitara exports. We have done more than 51,000 numbers.” he said. 

Bharti put year-to-date export growth at approximately 18.5%, underscoring that October’s near-60% increase is part of a broader upward trend, even though the month also benefited from shipments delayed earlier.

The export mix is also helping Maruti absorb shocks in individual markets. Bharti pointed to Europe and Japan as examples of markets where the company continues to export, while Mexico has emerged as a significant drag following a steep increase in duties.

“In Mexico, duty went from 20% to 50%. So the current exports we see is despite a very steep fall in Mexico. At any point of time in exports, some country or the others, some is showing an exceptional growth, some is going down, some becoming zero. So exports is always a mixed bag,” he adds. 

The export momentum also comes as Maruti’s overall production capacity expands. The company achieved around 2.6 lakh units of production in October, up 35% year on year. Bharti said average daily production had risen from 9,100 units in Q1 to 9,600 units in Q2 and 10,100 units in October, with higher production coming from a combination of more working days, improved efficiency and new capacity. That additional capacity gives Maruti more headroom to serve both domestic and export markets, but the immediate export challenge is less about demand and more about the external environment.