Maruti Suzuki Begins Export Of Made-In-India Fronx SUV To Japan

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. has commenced the export of its first sports utility vehicle, the Fronx, to Japan. The first consignment of over 1,600 vehicles left for Japan from Gujarat's Pipavav port, the country's largest carmaker said in a statement.

Fronx will be the first SUV from the Maruti Suzuki stable to be launched in Japan, the company said. The company rolled out the model exclusively from its Gujarat plant. Fronx is the second model from Maruti Suzuki to be exported to Japan after Baleno in 2016.

Suzuki Motor Corp., which owns around 58% of Maruti Suzuki, plans to introduce Fronx in the Japanese market later this year.

Fronx is planned to be launched in Japan by the parent company, in the autumn of 2024, the company said in the statement. The historic milestone symbolizes the growing strength and global reach of the Indian manufacturing, it said.

Japan is one of the most quality-conscious and advanced automobile markets in the world, Maruti Suzuki India's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Hisashi Takeuchi, said. "The export to Japan is a testament to Maruti Suzuki's capability to manufacture world-class vehicles... I am confident that it will be well received by Japanese customers," he said.

The Fronx, which made its global debut at the Auto Expo 2023, made its Indian debut on April 24, 2023. The SUV became the first model in the country to clock the fastest 1 lakh sales within 10 months of launch.

In July 2023, the company commenced exporting Fronx to destinations like Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. Cumulatively since launch, Fronx has recorded total sales of over 2 lakh units in domestic and export markets.

Maruti Suzuki led passenger vehicle exports last fiscal with shipments of over 2.8 lakh units to over 100 countries. The company currently owns 42% of the country's passenger vehicle exports.

In the April-June quarter of the current fiscal, Maruti Suzuki has already exported 70,560 units, the highest ever in any first quarter of the company.

Maruti Suzuki stock fell as much as 0.92% during the day to Rs 12,160 apiece on the NSE. It was trading 0.51% lower at Rs 12,1210 apiece, compared to a 0.44% advance in the benchmark Nifty 50 at 1:24 p.m.

(With inputs from PTI.)