Maruti Suzuki India has started exporting its Fronx SUV to Japan – the first SUV the vehicle maker has launched in the country. Maruti Suzuki also exports the Baleno sedan, which it started doing in 2016.
The first consignment of over 1,600 Fronx SUVs left for Japan from Gujarat’s Pipavav port last week. The Fronx is made at Maruti Suzuki’s Gujarat plant and was first launched on the Indian market in April 2023.
The first export volume was shipped to Japan by NYK. NYK Auto Logistics (India), a subsidiary of the NYK Group, and APM Terminals Pipavav, started ro-ro operations at Pipavav port back in 2015.
In Japan, Maruti is distributing the vehicle through its parent company’s network of Suzuki dealers and it will go on sale in the autumn.
“Our export to Japan is a testament of Maruti Suzuki’s capability to manufacture world-class vehicles that exemplify cutting-edge technology, exceptional performance, internationally recognized safety, and quality standards. It underscores our strong commitment to excellence,” said Hisashi Takeuchi, managing director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India.
Marutil Suzuki reported exporting 280,000 vehicles to more 100 countries globally in FY 2023-24, with a 42% share in passenger vehicles exports from India.
Earlier this year Maruti Suzuki opened an in-plant railway siding at its Gujurat plant, which has the annual capacity to dispatch 300,000 vehicles. In July it reported that it had so far shipped 2m vehicles using Indian Railways, with 447,750 units moved in FY 2023-24. In 2013 Maruti Suzuki was the first carmaker in India to obtain the Automobile Freight Train Operator (AFTO) licence.
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