Maruti Suzuki India Limited has achieved a milestone in sustainable logistics, dispatching over 5.85 lakh vehicles via railways during calendar year 2025, marking an 18% increase from the previous year.
The shift towards rail-based transportation has yielded substantial environmental benefits. The company avoided 87,904 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions and conserved more than 68.7 million litres of fuel through this initiative.
The automaker's commitment to rail logistics has grown significantly over the past decade. Rail dispatches have increased from just 5.1% of total outbound logistics in 2016 to approximately 26% in 2025. In absolute terms, rail-based vehicle dispatch volumes have expanded over 7.5 times, from nearly 77,000 units in 2016 to the current record level.
Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India Limited, highlighted two landmark achievements in 2025: the inauguration of India's largest automobile in-plant railway siding at the company's Manesar facility, and the first-ever rail dispatch to Kashmir valley through the world's highest railway arch bridge over the Chenab river.
The company has set an ambitious target to increase rail-based vehicle dispatches to 35% by fiscal year 2030-31, supporting India's net-zero emissions goal for 2070.
Maruti Suzuki was the first automobile company in India to obtain an Automobile-Freight-Train-Operator license in 2013. Since fiscal year 2014-15, the company has transported over 28 lakh vehicles from 22 destinations, servicing more than 600 cities across India through a hub and spoke model.
The company currently operates over 45 flexi deck rakes, each capable of carrying approximately 260 vehicles per trip. In 2025, rail dispatches from the in-plant railway sidings at Gujarat and Manesar facilities accounted for 53% of the company's total rail dispatches.
This green logistics initiative forms part of Maruti Suzuki's broader 'Circular Mobility' approach to sustainability, which addresses carbon footprint reduction across the entire vehicle lifecycle, from design and production to logistics and end-of-life vehicle management.