Maruti Suzuki India has been actively using the railways to dispatch cars from its factories to dealerships all over the country. It has increased rail dispatches from 65,700 units in FY2014-15 to a total of 335,245 units in FY 2022-23, a five-fold jump in eight years.

In FY 2022-23, the company dispatched over 100,000 units more than in FY 2021-22, registering an increase of nearly 43 per cent in dispatches using the rail mode.

Maruti Suzuki believes that the transport of vehicles by railways instead of roads is a far more efficient and optimal approach. It avoids congestion on roads, saves fuel, and brings down overall carbon emissions. Through sustained efforts, Maruti Suzuki has dispatched over 14.9 lakh vehicles using the rail mode till FY 2022-23, cumulatively averting 6700 MT of carbon emissions.

Sending vehicles through the railroad involves the manufacturing of special bogies suited to carry the vehicles. Most OEMs use road transport to dispatch their cars.

In FY 2018-19, Maruti dispatched 1.55 lakh vehicles which are eight per cent of its total vehicles dispatched.

In FY 2019-20, 1.79 lakh vehicles were dispatched which constitute 12 per cent of its total dispatches. In FY 2020-21, the company sent 1.88 lakh vehicles which comprise 13 per cent of its dispatches.

In FY 2021-22, it sent 2.33lakh vehicles by railroad, comprising 15 per cent of its dispatches and in FY 2022-23, it sent 3.55 lakh vehicles that comprise 18 per cent of the dispatches.

MG Motor

MG Motor India on Wednesday announced it will increase Indian shareholding of the company over the next two to four years by selling stakes to Indian partners.

It is talking to several partners and will dilute its majority stakes by the end of the year. MG Motor India is a subsidiary of the Chinese auto major Shanghai-based SAIC and sells products under its British brand MG Motor.

The company has been facing roadblocks in terms of finance as Foreign Direct Investments (FDI)s from China are being scrutinised by the government of India.

The company had applied for PLI schemes but its application has been stalled by the government, according to reports. Industry sources are abuzz of a possible buyout by JSW Group which has evinced an interest in the Electric Vehicle business. The company also announced a five-year business roadmap to Indianize the business operations.