Maruti Suzuki India has opened its 300th commercial showroom in the country. With the inauguration of the new showroom, the Maruti Suzuki Commercial retail outlet network is now present in over 230 cities across the country. The new addition has also led to Maruti Suzuki India's total sales network crossing 2,940 showrooms covering more than 1,860 towns and cities. The company sells its products through three different retail channels -- Arena, Nexa and Commercial.
Maruti Suzuki Commercial range includes Super Carry and Eeco Cargo. Maruti Suzuki Super Carry is powered by a 2-cylinder, turbo-charged, 793 cc diesel engine that makes 33 hp and 75 Nm of torque. There is also a new 1,196 cc CNG engine that produces 65 hp and 85 Nm of torque. Both the engines are mated to a standard 5-speed manual gearbox. Eeco Cargo is available in petrol as well as CNG option. There is a 1,196 cc engine that makes 73 hp and 101 Nm of torque in petrol option and 62 hp and 85 Nm of torque in CNG option. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.
Maruti Suzuki India ventured into commercial space in September 2016. Nearly half of the company's customers are businessmen, small traders or are self-employed, according to the company's internal research.
"The Light Commercial Vehicle segment has been the largest volume contributor in the commercial vehicle industry in the country. Globally, Suzuki Motor Corporation has expertise in this segment and the Super Carry is part of that lineage. Super Carry for India has been developed specifically keeping in mind the unique requirements of the Indian mini truck customer. Starting the commercial segment with Super Carry, we have rapidly rolled out our network to keep pace with the growing demand and business opportunity for light commercial vehicles. With the growth in entrepreneurship and businesses, we see a continuous requirement of Light commercial vehicles for various business applications," Maruti Suzuki India Executive Director (Marketing and Sales) Shashank Srivastava said.
"We will align our product and retail strategy with these changes. Our expanding Commercial channel network strength stands testimony to this alignment with the customer. In addition to our sales network, Maruti Suzuki's well-spread service network of over 3,630 service touch points across 1,780 cities boosts the confidence of the commercial vehicle buyer," he added.
Maruti Suzuki India had witnessed a 17.2 per cent decline in sales to 1,43,245 units in April 2019. The company has also decided not to upgrade its Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre diesel engine to comply with the BS-VI emission norms, that will come into effect from April 1, 2019.