Electric component, semiconductor shortage most serious issue right now: Maruti

India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India on Thursday launched the facelifted version of its six-seater multi-utility vehicle (MUV) XL6.  

The top brass of the auto major - Hisashi Takeuchi, MD & CEO; Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Director, Marketing & Sales; CV Raman, Chief Technical Officer & Senior Executive Director, Engineering - were present on the occasion and shared their views with the media on various issues related to the automobile sector. Excerpts: 

On selling cars online 

The move towards digitisation is a trend we are observing and we have already digitised 24 of the 26 touchpoints (through which the company communicates with customers), including finance. We recently launched a digital parking solution app. We have the largest network and going forward we will continue to push for a larger network. We have 1,100 digital showrooms as well and we are offering end-to-end digital solutions to our customers, including buying and payment. 

On the number of XL6 units sold since launch 

We are selling 3,500 to 3,800 units a month. Last year the company sold close to 40,000 units. That has been the rate since it was introduced in 2019. We have crossed the 1,00,000-mark for XL6 already. 

On rising commodity prices and impact on production 

There are supply chain issues. The most serious issue right now is the shortage of electric components and semiconductors. These are very serious issues not only for us but for the whole industry. The material cost is also affecting our business but we all have to work hard to cope with the situation. That is our responsibility. 

On petrol versus diesel cars 

The fuel prices of diesel and gasoline have come quite close. The earlier advantage of buying a diesel car was the running cost, which seems to have disappeared. On top of it, when BS4 to BS6 norms came, the cost of buying a diesel vehicle when compared to a corresponding petrol vehicle, increased. 

As a result, there is no economic logic for going for a diesel vehicle now. It is also looked upon as a more polluting one, at least on the particulate side. On an overall basis, the percentage of diesel vehicles in the market is just 18 per cent. 

On benefits of CNG vehicles 

The running cost for a CNG vehicle is Rs 1.80 per kilometre as a result of which CNG vehicle sales are surging. We are giving that option to consumers and our CNG products have got a great response. Going forward, we will introduce CNG on more vehicles. 

On SUV and MUV market 

There is a growing demand for SUVs that now constitute over 40 per cent of the overall market. The MPV segment is also growing and the market, which was only 4-5 per cent around five years back, is now almost 8.5 per cent. It is a growing segment and will grow further. 

Also read: Maruti Suzuki launches new-gen XL6 starting Rs 11.29 lakh; promises 20.97 kmpl mileage