Maruti Suzuki India announced on Monday that cumulative exports of the Made-in-India Jimny 5-door, Fronx, and e Vitara to Japan have surpassed 100,000 units. According to reports from Business Standard, the company began exporting the Fronx to Japan in August 2024, followed by the Jimny 5-door in December 2024. The company's first Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), e Vitara, joined this export portfolio in September 2025, further strengthening India's role as a global manufacturing hub for Suzuki.
Maruti Suzuki plans to launch seven SUVs over the next five years as part of its strategy to establish presence across all passenger vehicle segments. As reported by Zee News, Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India, confirmed the company's commitment to SUVs, stating "We are going to have a play across each segment." When specifically asked about D-segment SUVs, Banerjee responded "We are going to have a play across each segment," though he stopped short of revealing specific details about upcoming products. The company acknowledges that SUVs are gaining larger share of the Indian passenger vehicle market and is working to bridge the gap where it was relatively late to the SUV trend.
As reported by Business Standard, Japan stood as Maruti Suzuki's second-largest export market by volume in FY26, with the company retaining this position during the first five months (April-August) of the current fiscal year. The success of Jimny 5-door, Fronx, and e Vitara has contributed significantly to Suzuki Motor Corporation emerging as the top vehicle importer in Japan in the previous financial year. Maruti Suzuki-manufactured vehicles accounted for nearly 100 per cent of imports by Suzuki in Japan during the last fiscal year.
Despite the SUV focus, Maruti Suzuki remains committed to maintaining hatchback and small car segments as part of its comprehensive market strategy. According to Zee News, Banerjee emphasized that the country's motorisation story cannot be driven only by customers moving towards increasingly expensive vehicles, noting that "Everybody will not be buying the first car as the Grand Vitara or the e Vitara." The company's Baleno continues to sell without discounts, averaging around 16,500 units monthly over the past five months despite transitioning to an updated version. Banerjee stressed that Maruti Suzuki's traditional strengths in mileage, low ownership costs, and extensive after-sales network remain foundational, while today's customers increasingly seek overall car experience beyond just running costs.
