Maruti Suzuki plans major SUV offensive, will launch 7 models by 2031

Maruti Suzuki is planning a major product offensive in the Indian passenger vehicle market. India's largest car manufacturer is planning to launch seven SUVs in the country over the next five years, as the company is looking to strengthen its presence in the market and prepare for further growth in the domestic passenger vehicle market. Besides that, the auto OEM is also planning to significantly ramp up its production volume. It has stated that during FY2026-27, Maruti Suzuki will roll out 500,000 units of additional vehicles from its plants.

In its Annual Integrated Report 2025-26, Maruti Suzuki's Managing Director and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said the company has accelerated its capacity expansion plans amid confidence in its medium-term growth prospects. “Reflecting our confidence in the medium-term outlook, we accelerated our capacity expansion plans. During FY 2026-27, we added 500,000 units of manufacturing capacity. Customer expectations continue to evolve rapidly," he stated, while also adding, “The Company has plans to introduce seven SUVs in the next five years to further strengthen SUV portfolio."

Maruti Suzuki is betting big on a multi-pronged strategy to support its next phase of growth. In the report, the company said that the revival of the small car segment, strengthening of its SUV portfolio, a multi-powertrain strategy, production capacity expansion and surge in exports are among the key drivers projected to support its next phase of growth.

Maruti Suzuki focusing more on SUVs

Maruti Suzuki currently sells SUVs like Brezza, Victoris, and Grand Vitara across different segments in the Indian market. Now, amid the rising popularity of SUVs, the company is aiming to grab a larger chunk of the bulging segment. Keeping a focus on that, Maruti Suzuki has planned to launch seven SUVs over the next five years, which would be positioned in different segments as well as across different powertrain categories.

Maruti Suzuki sees stronger revival of small cars

Maruti Suzuki Chairman R C Bhargava said the company is currently estimating that the Indian car industry could grow to between 6.1 million and 6.3 million units by FY 2030-31. This estimation comes after Maruti Suzuki sold a record 2.42 million vehicles and exported an all-time high 447,000 units in FY26, and expects to reach its next million-unit sales milestone earlier than previously projected. The company crossed the two-million-annual-sales mark for the third consecutive year. The small cars are playing a crucial role in this growth projection.

In the report, Maruti Suzuki Chairman said that the pace of growth for the small car segment in India would be faster than the growth it registered in the last five years. He attributed the GST rate cut as a great catalyst to the revival of the small car segment in India. The GST rate cut announced right ahead of the festive season last year provided a much-needed boost to the small car segment along with the overall industry. "We are in the process of making as accurate an estimate as possible of the likely growth of the car market in the next five years. Presently, we are estimating that the car industry would grow to 6.1 to 6.3 million units by FY 2030-31 and that the share of the small car market would grow significantly faster than its pace of growth in the last five years," Bhargava said.

Maruti Suzuki to step up efforts in alternative fuel

Apart from expanding vehicle production and its product portfolio, Maruti Suzuki is also stepping up its efforts in alternative fuels. The company already has a wide range of CNG models on offer in the country. In the report, Bhargava has hinted that the company is focusing on using biogas sourced from locally available resources as a substitute for imported CNG to boost its cleaner energy transition.

Check out Upcoming Cars in India 2026, Best SUVs in India.