Models such as Alto, WagonR and Dzire are available in limited quantities while Celerio is completely unavailable for booking this month
Maruti Suzuki has been raking in good numbers as the 2020-21 financial year came to a close. The carmaker was able to dispatch as many as 1,46,203 passenger vehicles to dealerships across the country last month.
However, at a time when global automotive industry is facing supply shortage, Maruti is too in the same boat. As per a dealer source, the Indo-Japanese car manufacturer has sent out an advisory to all its dealer partners asking them not to accept or limit the bookings for select variants of particular models. While the exact reason for this is unknown, we suspect shortage of components especially the crisis surrounding semiconductor chips might be the cause.
No Alto VXi+ Trim for April
With a shortage of components, the supply chain of almost all auto manufacturers has been hit in the past few months. The advisory states which models are completely out of stock and which ones are in limited quantities. The company’s entry-level car Alto will not be available in top-spec VXI+ trim for April. Customers can book the VXI trim which is available in large quantities.
WagonR, Dzire ZXi trims unavailable
Maruti’s third-highest seller for March 2021 WagonR will also be at limited disposals. The 1.2-litre version of top-spec ZXi trim is not available for sale this month. The next best VXi trim with the same 1.2-litre petrol unit is also available in very short numbers. However, VXi trim with the 1.0-litre petrol unit is available in good numbers.
Similar is the case with the company’s compact sedan Dzire. The top-end ZXi+ and ZXi are out of bounds for sale in April due to supply-related issues. Hence dealers have been advised to accept bookings for VXi trim of Dzire.
Celerio off shelves this month
The most surprising detail in the advisory issued is the unavailability of Celerio. No trims of Celerio could be supplied to showrooms this month and retailers have been advised to modify the existing bookings to some other model. It is not clear if this is because of supply shortage, or the carmaker is preparing the plant to start production of new gen Celerio.
For Ertiga, the advisory mentions that not to expect higher numbers as same numbers like last month will be dispatched. The situation is better for Vitara Brezza as it is available in good numbers. Since there are no other details attached, we expect other models to be in stock and available as usual.
India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki witnessed YoY growth of 91.77 percent and a marginal MoM growth of 1 percent while its market share stood at 45.61 percent. The company has a few important launches in the coming months in the form of new gen Celerio, an updated Baleno and the new-gen Vitara Brezza towards the end of this year.