Suzuki Motor Gujarat (SMG) plant near Ahmedabad currently manufactures Maruti Suzuki models such as Baleno, Swift and now Dzire
Earlier this year in April, the first unit of Maruti Suzuki Dzire rolled out from Suzuki Motor Gujarat (SMG) plant in Hansalpur near Ahmedabad. Now, entire production of the compact sedan has been shifted to this facility in Gujarat. Prior to this development, Dzire was assembled at the company’s manufacturing facility in Manesar, Haryana.
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SMG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corporation and manufactures cars for Maruti Suzuki exclusively on a contract basis. The decision to completely shift Dzire’s production from Manesar to SMG was taken to free up space for upcoming new generation SUV models in the company’s portfolio which will be built at the Manesar facility.
The manufacturing facility in SMG was first established in March 2014 with three units currently in operation. The third unit (C) became operational in April this year prior to which the two existing units had an annual production capacity of 2,50,000 each. Last year, SMG announced that construction of the third plant was complete and production was slated to commence in April 2021.
The company managed to stick to its timeline despite many challenges at hand. Just like the first two plants, the latest addition to SMG also has an annual production capacity of 2,50,000 units. The production facility, as of now, manufactures Dzire, Baleno, its Toyota twin Glanza and Swift. Currently, SMG produces close to 1,000 units of Dzire on a daily basis.
Dzire Details
Dzire is currently retailed in four trims- LXi, VXi, ZXi, and ZXi+ which are offered at a price between Rs 5.98 lakh to Rs 9.02 lakh (ex-showroom). The compact sedan is powered by a 1.2-litre K-series DualJet petrol engine which is mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed AMT gearbox. It rivals other sub-4 metre sedans such as Hyundai Aura, Ford Aspire, Tata Tigor and Honda Amaze.
Upcoming New-Gen Maruti SUVs
As mentioned above, Maruti is clearing space for multiple new SUVs to be launched in the coming months. These include a new-gen Vitara Brezza slated to launch early next year, a 5-door India-spec Jimny in late next year and a new-gen S-Cross which is expected to make its debut in 2023.
There is also a new C-segment SUV which is being jointly developed by Maruti Suzuki and Toyota. However, this one is likely to be manufactured at the latter’s manufacturing plant in Bidadi. This upcoming SUV will compete against the likes of Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and Skoda Kushaq and will be underpinned by Toyota’s DNGA platform.
Apart from this, Maruti is also developing a sub 4 meter coupe SUV based on the Baleno. This will be offered with petrol engine option and might also get mild hybrid setup. Expect new gen Maruti cars to come with EV-ready powertrain.
