Production for Maruti in recent months has suffered due to the ongoing semiconductor chip crisis
Maruti Suzuki will soon be setting up a new manufacturing plant in Sonipat, Haryana. This development was revealed by Haryana CM, Manohar Lal Khattar who said that the state government has issued a clearance to the Indo-Japanese carmaker for setting up a new production facility in over 900 acres of land at Kharkhoda in Sonipat district.
Khattar announced this development at a meeting of the Haryana Enterprises Promotion Center. He further went on to reveal that the land would be allotted at a cost of Rs 2.96 crore per acre with a concession of 10 percent if the money is paid within 45 days. These allowances have been granted under the state GST rules for fifteen years.
With the deal finalised, the new project is expected to commence in the next 2-3 years. This will also help Maruti in augmenting its production which already has two factories in Haryana- Gurgaon and Manesar. The increase in production will also mean a boost in the automotive sector of the country.
Current challenges faced by Maruti
Maruti Suzuki is by far the largest car manufacturer in the country with a yearly market share of nearly 45 percent. However, the company continues to face challenges on the production front as it is unable to utilise its full potential in the current facilities due to the ongoing semiconductor chip shortage.
Earlier this month Maruti conveyed that it is expecting a negative impact on the production at its two plants located in Haryana and the parent Suzuki factory in Gujarat due to scarcity of electronic components. The carmaker stated that in the current scenario it expects the total production volume across both factories in Haryana could be around 85 percent of the normal roll-out in November.
Maruti Upcoming New Models
While Maruti has shied away from any new launches for more than two years, the automaker is readying a whole bunch of new models which will be introduced in the coming few months. It started with the launch of the new-gen Celerio this month and will be carried forward with models such as Alto, Baleno, Vitara Brezza and S-Cross, all of them receiving a generation upgrade in the near future.
The new-gen Celerio has been launched at a price of Rs 4.99 lakh to Rs 6.94 lakh (ex-showroom). It gets plenty of updates in the form of a redesigned exterior, new underpinnings, more features and a more fuel-efficient powertrain. Powering the new Celerio is a 1.0-litre K10C petrol engine that produces 66 bhp and 89 Nm of peak torque and returns a maximum fuel efficiency of 26.68 kmpl.
Apart from these, Maruti is also working on launching new SUVs in association with Toyota. Reports also suggest that new gen Maruti cars will be focusing more on safety and are being built with the aim of achieving 5 star NCAP scores.
