Currently, MSI manufactures around 2.6 million vehicles annually from its facilities in Haryana and Gujarat. This includes 1.6 million units from its Gurugram and Manesar plants, and 750,000 units from Suzuki Motor Gujarat. The newly operational Kharkhoda plant will initially contribute 250,000 units per year, starting with the production of the Brezza compact SUV.

To future-proof its operations, Maruti is making its plants more model-agnostic and EV-ready, said Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer (Corporate Affairs), during an analyst call. “Newer lines are being designed to handle heavier EV models, factoring in battery weight and reinforced body structures,” he said.

Maruti’s first electric vehicle, the e-Vitara, is scheduled for launch in September 2025, with a major portion of its initial production aimed at overseas markets. However, Bharti acknowledged that EV profitability would remain lower than internal combustion engine (ICE) models for the foreseeable future.

He emphasized that government support, such as 5% GST and incentive schemes, plays a vital role in making EVs financially viable.

Beyond EVs, Maruti aims to adopt multiple decarbonisation technologies to reduce its carbon footprint. "We will try to leverage all possible technologies to supplement our EV efforts,” Bharti noted.

On the regulatory front, MSI expects the CAFE-III norms, which target reduced CO? emissions, to be finalized within the next one to two months. The industry is actively engaging with the Ministry of Power and Bureau of Energy Efficiency on this front.

Bharti also stressed the strategic importance of exports, which could help offset lower EV margins by improving economies of scale and offering better pricing power in select global markets