Maruti Suzuki India Ltd said it has achieved one lakh units of cumulative exports of Made-in-India Jimny 5-door, FRONX and e VITARA to Japan considered one of the world’s most competitive and advanced automobile markets.

Exports of FRONX to Japan commenced in August 2024, followed by Jimny 5-door in December 2024. The Company’s first Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), e VITARA, joined this export portfolio in September 2025.

Jimny 5-door and e VITARA are manufactured exclusively in India.

Japan is now Maruti Suzuki’s second-largest export market by volume. Maruti Suzuki-manufactured vehicles accounted for nearly 100% of imports by Suzuki in Japan during FY26, the company said.

Hisashi Takeuchi, managing director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India said, “The milestone of over 1 lakh exports of Jimny 5-door, FRONX, and e VITARA to Japan is a powerful endorsement of India’s manufacturing excellence.”

“This achievement is particularly significant as Japan is one of the world’s most demanding and advanced automobile markets. The export milestone also symbolises the remarkable evolution of the India-Japan partnership,” he said.

“What began as Suzuki’s vision to manufacture automobiles in India has come full circle, with Made-in-India vehicles finding strong acceptance among Japanese customers. This success has helped Japan emerge as the second biggest market for Maruti Suzuki exports,” he added.

Maruti Suzuki India Limited (Maruti Suzuki) on Saturday unveiled the New Baleno, targeting young and ambitious urban customers with a refreshed design, enhanced technology and improved fuel efficiency. The new premium hatchback is priced at ₹6,09,900 ex-showroom in Bengaluru.

The New Baleno makes its debut with segment-first Level 2 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), offering eight advanced safety and driver-assistance functions. The vehicle is also powered by the new Advanced Z12E powertrain, available with a five-speed manual transmission and Auto Gear Shift (AGS) automatic transmission.

Speaking at the launch, Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said the Baleno has been a key pillar of NEXA and the premium hatchback segment for nearly a decade.

“The New Baleno is now here to redefine customer expectations with the introduction of segment-first features including Level 2 ADAS, and an unmistakable new identity established with a modern rendition of the signature NEXWave grille,” he said.

The car features a new design language, including a modern interpretation of the NEXWave grille, along with a shark-fin antenna that adds to its premium appearance.

According to Banerjee, every third premium hatchback sold in India is a Baleno. Since its launch, Maruti Suzuki has sold around 1.9 million Baleno units in the Indian market. The Baleno nameplate was first introduced in India by Maruti Suzuki in 1999 as a midsize sedan. The model was subsequently discontinued, before the company revived the nameplate in 2015 with a more stylish and sophisticated premium hatchback.

The New Baleno is offered in seven colour options, including a new Enigmatic Teal shade. Inspired by the depths of the sea and digital fusion, the new colour is designed to create a sense of depth in shadows and brilliance under light.

The vehicle also comes equipped with the Suzuki Connect telematics system, offering more than 40 connected features covering vehicle safety and security, trips and driving behaviour, vehicle status alerts and remote operations through the Suzuki Connect app.

Power and Fuel Efficiency

The New Baleno is powered by the Advanced Z12E petrol engine, which produces 61 kW of power at 5,700 rpm and 112.4 Nm of peak torque at 4,500 rpm. The engine is equipped with Idle Start-Stop technology and Dual VVT, with Maruti Suzuki claiming that the powertrain has been engineered to balance driving comfort with lower CO₂ emissions.

The engine is offered with a five-speed manual transmission and an Auto Gear Shift (AGS) automatic transmission. The manual version delivers a claimed fuel efficiency of 23.80 km/l, while the AGS variant returns 24.77 km/l.

According to the company, this represents an improvement of 6.4% and 7.9%, respectively, over the previous-generation model.

The Baleno S-CNG is also powered by the Z12E engine and is paired with a five-speed manual transmission. It delivers a claimed fuel efficiency of 33.61 km/kg in S-CNG mode, representing a 9.8% improvement over its predecessor, it said.

India’s automobile industry needs to move beyond local assembly and build domestic capabilities across the entire value chain—from raw materials and components to advanced technologies and final systems—to reduce supply-chain risks and strengthen global competitiveness, industry leaders said.

Tata Motors Managing Director Shailesh Chandra said India’s localisation push should go beyond import substitution and focus on establishing the country as a major global automotive manufacturing and mobility hub.

“The opportunity before is much larger than just import substitution,” Chandra said, adding that India should aim to become “one of the world’s leading automotive manufacturing and mobility hubs.”

As vehicles become increasingly technology-intensive, retaining a larger share of value creation within India will be critical, he said. The vehicles of the future will rely heavily on electronics, semiconductors, sensors, power electronics, batteries, motors, software, connectivity and advanced materials.

“Hence to ensure global competitiveness, much of the value creation should reside within the country,” Chandra said.

He called for localisation to expand beyond conventional components to cover the full value chain, including raw materials, processing, components, sub-components and final systems. The recent disruption in rare-earth magnet supplies, he said, demonstrated how dependence on even a relatively small input could expose the industry to strategic supply-chain vulnerabilities.

Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said shifting global supply chains were creating an opportunity for India to emerge as a trusted manufacturing and supply-chain base.

“Cost is no longer the only consideration. Reliability and continuity have become equally important,” Takeuchi said.

Hyundai Motor India Chief Operating Officer Tarun Garg said India’s trade profile highlighted the need for faster technological capability-building. “Our exports remain concentrated in relatively mature technologies, while our imports are increasingly dominated by advanced, higher-value technologies, he said.

India must therefore “accelerate and leapfrog towards greater self-reliance” by designing, developing and manufacturing next-generation technologies domestically, Garg said. These include semiconductor chips, electric-vehicle battery cells and power electronics.

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., India’s biggest passenger vehicles company, for the period April-June, FY 2026-27 (Q1), reported a 11% fall in net profit to ₹3352 crore as compared to ₹3758 crore in the year-ago period, as high material prices eat into its margin.

During the quarter, the company’s net sales income increased 36% YoY to ₹49959 crore.

Material costs had started to increase in the quarter and were seriously aggravated during the war, as a result of which the net profit was impacted, the company said.

The company’s total sales volume during the quarter grew by 29.3% YoY. Domestic small car sales grew by 34.1%, SUVs by 44.6%, and exports by 28.6%. 

Domestic market share of the company increased by 2.3% points to 41.2%. Higher sales were possible because the Company commissioned its second plant in Kharkhoda.

“Despite increased sales, the network inventory level at the end of quarter was only about 13 days,” the company said. 

The Board on Friday (July 31, 2026) also approved 4 Compressed Biogas (CBG) projects in the first phase with a budget of ₹561 crore. 

“The Board would consider expansion of CBG manufacturing based on the experience of these projects,” the company added.

To capitalise on the fast-growing compact SUV market in India, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd on Friday launched the upgraded Brezza Turbo Boosterjet at price staring from ₹7.4 lakhs (ex-showroom).

This segment, which now accounts for 30% of the passenger vehicles market, has been growing fast due to goods and services tax (GST) benefit.

At present, Maruti sells 15,000 Brezza units monthly. Since its launch in 2016, Maruti Suzuki has sold 14 lakh Brezza units, making it one of the most sold vehicles in the country. 

The New Brezza is also available with K15C Dual Jet Dual VVT engine with Progressive Smart Hybrid Technology., featuring a new 6-speed manual transmission, alongside a 6-speed automatic transmission with steering-mounted paddle shifters.

Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, “The New Brezza, is an SUV that truly resonates with the aspirations of young India. With New Brezza Turbo Boosterjet we add a new dimension of driving excitement that matches the energy and vibe of Young India.”

“The New Brezza has been curated to find favour with diverse customer preferences as it switches effortlessly to appeal to the different moods and occasions of customers,” he said. 

“It is an SUV that appeals to every side of a customer’s personality, be it at work or play, appealing to various aspects of their lifestyles. I am confident the New Brezza will continue to build on the brand’s legacy as India’s favourite compact SUV,” he added. 

With a maximum power output of 81 kW @ 5500 rpm and 170 Nm of torque @ 2000–3500rpm, the New Brezza Turbo Boosterjet delivers performance with fuel-efficiency of 20.47 km/l.  Developed to appeal to a wide demographic of customers, the new model is available with petrol and compressed natural gas (CNG) powertrain. 

The petrol New Brezza K15C with 6-speed transmission options offers a fuel-efficiency of 21.09 km/l. It is also available with S-CNG technology featuring a new underbody fuel tank configuration offering more boot space.  It’s Idle start-stop technology along with the new 6-speed manual transmission delivers fuel-efficiency of 26.9 km/kg, the company said. 

Maruti Suzuki India Limited said it has achieved a cumulative dispatch of over 3 million (30 lakh) vehicles through railways towards its commitment to green logistics.

Over the past decade, the company said it has systematically scaled up the share of rail in outbound logistics from 5% in FY 2014-15 to 26.5% in FY 2025-26.

The progression from 2 million to 3 million cumulative rail-based vehicle dispatches has been achieved in 21 months, making it the fastest million for Maruti Suzuki’s operations, the company said.

Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki said, “Achieving 3 million cumulative vehicle dispatches through railways marks a significant milestone in our green logistics journey. Since 2014, our rail-based vehicle dispatches have increased ninefold in volume, now contributing 26.5% of the company’s total vehicle dispatches.”

Maruti Suzuki has committed over ₹1,372 crore towards dedicated green logistics infrastructure. This includes development of in-plant railway sidings at our Hansalpur and Manesar manufacturing facilities, rail yard setup at key logistics hubs, procurement of specialised automotive rakes, and supporting multiple infrastructure upgrades.

“Going forward, we aim to increase the share of rail-based vehicle dispatches to 35% by FY2030-31 and plan to establish an in-plant siding at our new Kharkhoda facility. This would further help reduce carbon footprint, lower fuel consumption, and ease overall road congestion,” he added.