



Maruti's EV debut stumbles on production woes, global market shift, and delayed domestic launch
Maruti Suzuki India Ltd’s EV debut got off to a poor start with production falling short of target as its domestic launch got delayed, a rare-earth magnet crisis hit manufacturers and global electric vehicle sales growth slowed.The country’s largest car manufacturer exported 25,000 EVs and registered 1,400 units domestically in FY26, missing a target set by chairman RC Bhargava at the start of the fiscal year to produce 70,000 units of its first electric vehicle, mostly for overseas markets. Although Maruti hasn’t disclosed EV production numbers, they are typically a little higher than sales volumes.“There were some initial delays but now the ramp-up is progressing steadily,” Rahul Bharti, senior executive officer-corporate affairs at Maruti Suzuki, told Mint in an emailed response.According to experts, Maruti’s EV manufacturing plan faced setbacks for reasons ranging from a delay in the launch to production-related issues.“The lower-than-anticipated production came on the back of rare earth magnet issues which affected production schedules of automakers.
Moreover, there has been a global slowdown in EVs, which would have affected their numbers. The launch in the domestic market was also delayed throughout last year,” said Gaurav Vangaal, associate director – light vehicle production at S&P Global.Maruti Suzuki’s parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation, has made India a production hub for global EV production to cater to both domestic and international demand.
Read on livemint.com