Maruti Suzuki Order Backlog Crosses 2 Lakh as Brezza Bookings Near 1 Lakh

Demand Is Not Maruti's Problem This Festive Season

Maruti Suzuki is heading into the festive season with more than 2 lakh pending bookings and a stockpile of only about 17 days, its smallest in months. "As on 1st of October, we have now more than 2 lakh pending bookings with us," Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer for Marketing and Sales, said at the company's monthly sales briefing. The carmaker is now pushing production at its newly commissioned Kharkhoda plant in Haryana, where the new line builds the Brezza.

The Brezza has become the face of that backlog. Bookings have crossed 95,000 units and are about to hit the 1 lakh mark, with roughly 15,000 units delivered last month. The demand is spread across all three powertrains, and the mix is telling: the underbody CNG version accounts for about 40 per cent of bookings, the new 1.0-litre turbo-petrol about 38 per cent and the 1.5-litre petrol the remaining 22 per cent.

The wider numbers back up the squeeze. Maruti's total domestic sales, including supplies to other OEMs, rose about 30 per cent year on year to 1,91,794 units in September, while exports stood at 44,219 units. In the first half, exports hit a record 2.32 lakh units, and Maruti alone accounted for 52 per cent of every car exported from India. At home, demand is broad: entry-level hatchbacks grew 86 per cent in H1 and mid-hatchbacks 40 per cent, while SUVs rose 56 per cent. You can track our monthly sales coverage for the full picture.

Banerjee struck a cautious note on the second half, saying the industry's growth rate may moderate even as absolute volumes keep rising, and that production ramp-up will decide how much demand converts into deliveries. Our home page has more on Maruti's festive strategy.

What this means for you: a 2 lakh-unit backlog and 17 days of stock means waiting periods, not discounts, will define Maruti's festive season. If you have your eye on a Brezza, the CNG and turbo variants are the ones in heaviest demand, so book early and confirm the delivery window before you commit.

(Sources: ETAuto, Times of India Auto, The Hindu BusinessLine, Maruti Suzuki monthly sales briefing)