Maruti Suzuki commenced export of its vehicles back in 1986, and the first large consignment of 500 cars was shipped to Hungary in September 1987. With steady growth it had achieved its one millionth export unit by 2012, with 50 percent of these being sold to Europe.

Subsequently, they’ve turned their focus to emerging markets and the next million (done in just over eight years) are shipped to markets such as Indonesia and the Philippines.

Commenting on the announcement, Mr. Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, “Maruti Suzuki has been exporting vehicles for the past 34 years much before India became a prominent player in the global automobile business, and this early global exposure helped the Company enhance its quality and attain global benchmarks. Currently, we export 14 models and nearly 150 variants to over 100 countries. Vehicles manufactured at our facilities in India have found high acceptance owing to global standards of quality, safety, design, and technology.”

Mr. Ayukawa added, “Going forward, the Company has aligned itself with the evolving needs of customers in African and Latin American nations. With a flurry of new models in the pipeline, Maruti Suzuki will attract customers in new segments to enable the Company to accomplish bigger milestones at a much faster pace.”

In January of this year, the Company started production and export of Suzuki’s celebrated compact off-roader Jimny from India. With India added as a production base for Jimny, Suzuki aims to leverage Maruti Suzuki’s global production stature.