Coronavirus effect: Maruti Suzuki's production plummets 97.5% in May

Amidst nationwide lockdown and disrupted supply chain due to coronavirus outbreak, Maruti Suzuki India, the country's largest car manufacturer, on Tuesday reported a slump of 97.5 per cent in production at 3,714 units in May 2020. The car maker had produced 1,51,188 units during the same month last year, the company informed in a regulatory filing.

Marti Suzuki resumed operations at its Manesar plant in Haryana on May 12, after around 40 days of closure due to the coronavirus-led lockdown. The production at its Gurugram-based plant started on May 18. Operations at theses two facilities in Haryana, which have an installed capacity to roll out 15.5 lakh units per annum, were suspended since March 22.

Production of mini and compact segment cars, including Alto, new WagonR, Celerio, Ignis, Swift, Baleno and Dzire stood at 2,351 units as against 108,579 units in May last year. While manufacturing of mini segment cars (Alto and S-Presso) fell to 401 units last month versus 23,874 units in the year-ago month, production of compact segment cars (WagonR, Celerio, Ignis, Swift, Baleno and Dzire) declined to 1,950 as against 84,705 in May 2019.

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Production of utility vehicles such as Vitara Brezza, Ertiga, XL-6, S-Cross stood at 928 units as compared to 24,748 units a year ago. Mid-sized sedan Ciaz saw its output fall to 163 units in May from 3,834 units in the same month last year.

Light commercial vehicle Super Carry's production decreased to 62 units last month from 3,093 units in May 2019, Maruti said.

Also Read: Coronavirus impact: Maruti registers 89% decline in sales in May 2020

In May, Maruti's domestic sales (including sales to OEM) declined by 89 per cent to 13,865 units as compared to 125,552 unit in the same month last year, impacted by coronavirus-led lockdown. In April, it reported zero sales in the domestic market as lockdown led to closure of auto dealerships and manufacturing plants across the country. The automaker, however, exported 632 units through Mundra port, ensuring all government safety guidelines were followed.

Last month, the company re-opened showrooms across the country in a phased manner as per the guidelines of the Centre and State governments.