Maruti Suzuki will increase production of diesel cars at its Gurgaon facility due to availability of extra diesel engines after the lockout of its Manesar plant.
While the riots halted production of cars at the Manesar plant, Suzuki powertrain India limited (SPIL), which operates from the same facility and produces the diesel mills that power the Swift, Dzire, Ritz, SX4 and the new MUV Ertiga is still functional and under-utilised.
It is almost certain that the company will use the excess supply of engines to increase production of the Ertiga and cut down its waiting period which is currently six to seven months. The Ritz, which is also produced at Gurgaon and currently facing a slump in demand, is likely to see a change in fortunes after it gets a facelift later this year. This move is also expected to help the Indo-Japanese car maker counter a daily loss of Rs 70 Crore which it is suffering due to the lockout.
Also, according to reports, company sources said that they were currently in talks with component suppliers and vendors to check if they are ready to cope with the increase in production.
On a related note, due to the curtailing of one shift at the SPIL plant, the company has had to let go of around 250 workers. The facility currently produces 33,000 diesel engines a month.
