Maruti Suzuki India has come out in the open to confront the ongoing stand-off with its workers at the Manesar plant. The company seems to be resolute and confident amid the stalemate and confirms that the hindrance in the production process will have no impact on supplies for the festive season sales.
The company claims that since its launch on August 17, bookings of 1.08 lac units for the revised Swift have been received. Maruti conveyed that it has reclaimed the lost ground, as the supply of the model is back on track, after being hit severely by the workers agitation at the plant.
"The demand for Swift is huge. It is the supply side which we had a problem in the first part of this month, but that is gradually coming to normal levels," Maruti Suzuki India Managing Executive Officer, Marketing and Sales, Mayank Pareek was quoted as saying.
"The only issue was with Swift, which is produced from Manesar. We are now producing around 700 units a day," he responded on being asked, as to whether the chaos at the plant would be detrimental to the sales performance of the new Swift.
He further added that the company is confident to reach the set target of selling around 17,000 to18,000 units of the Swift per month, as against 12,000 units sale achieved by the predecessor. At the outset, the diesel version of the latest Swift has a waiting period of six months, while that of the petrol variant is approximately three to five months.
Pareek said that the company hopes to perform well during the festive season, although the trend prevailing in the market, currently, is subjected to sluggishness. "The challenge is more with the sentiment rather than the macro-economic issues. However, the festive season provides another opportunity to bring the cheers," he was quoted as saying.
Maruti Suzuki India is leaving no stones unturned, as it is also providing discounts to attract maximum buyers. The prices of the new Swift are expected to be 20 per cent lower than what was offered in the festive season last year.
High interest rates and petrol prices, the two prime perpetrators, have left the auto industry limping. The worst affected phase was the months of July and August, wherein, car sales in India suffered a nosedive, as compared to the previous year period.
On being asked about the impact of the impasse on the sales of this fiscal, Mayank Pareek said, "While a lot would depend on the festive season sales, we still have half-a-year to go for the fiscal. It is too early to say."
Therefore, even as Maruti Suzuki India's volumes sales growth is expected to reach single digits this fiscal, as against 24.81 per cent last fiscal, the company's esprit de corps and new Swift serve as a panacea to all woes.
