Have you booked a diesel vehicle from Maruti? Chances are that the waiting period might be stretched by about another two to six months depending on the variant you choose.
The lock-out declared by the Maruti Suzuki management in its Manesar plant following unrest has put the local dealers and buyers of Maruti worried because of possible delay in supply of vehicles.
Industry sources say that the most affected would be the prospective buyers of Dzire which has a waiting period of about four months. This period is likely to go up to six months now.
The other popular variant from Maruti stable is the diesel version Ertiga, which has a waitlist period of four months. It could now extend by another month or more.
Maruti dealers sell about 3,000 cars of all varieties in Hyderabad in a month, while the sale averages around 5,000 vehicles per month in the State, industry sources say. Sources say this could lead to rise in the premium demanded by those who booked vehicles in advance. Consequently, the second hand market of Maruti vehicles could also see a noticeable increase in prices.
“There will definitely be some more delay. Depending on the models, enthusiasts will be forced to wait for at least three to six weeks. But Maruti is known to be well-managed and we hope the delay will not be too long,” opined P.T. Choudary, chairman of A.P. Motor Vehicle Dealers Association.
The dealers, however, did not get any intimation from the company about the possibility of delays in despatch of vehicles. “We got new vehicles even two days ago. But we are not sure about next month’s quota,” says D.K. Raju, GM, Sales, Varun Motors Private Limited.
Admitting that there could be some delay, a senior official from Maruti Suzuki India Limited said there was a possibility of the company partially shifting its production from Manesar to Gurgaon plant.
“The AGM of Maruti Suzuki is slated to be held on Saturday (July 28) where some decisions are likely to be taken on stepping up production in Gurgaon plant,” he said.
