Maruti Suzuki CNG car sale forecast: Maruti Suzuki India expects an increase of over 30 per cent in the sales of its compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles to approximately 600,000 units in the current fiscal year, according to a senior company official.

The country's leading carmaker also sets its sights on exporting around 3,00,000 units during the ongoing financial year.

"In the current fiscal year, we achieved sales of about 450,000 CNG units in passenger vehicles. We are targeting sales of around 600,000 vehicles in FY24-25," said Rahul Bharti, Executive Director Corporate Affairs, Maruti Suzuki India, during an analyst call.

Maruti Suzuki offers CNG variants across various models such as WagonR, Brezza, Dzire, and Ertiga, among others, in the domestic market.

Bharti highlighted that the company's capacity expansion by approximately 1,00,000 units per annum at its Manesar plant in Haryana largely addresses the supply challenges for the Ertiga model, which has witnessed significant demand for its CNG variant.

Regarding exports, Bharti outlined the company's goal to export about 3,00,000 units.

"In the previous fiscal year, we exported approximately 2,83,000 units. Despite a substantial increase from the usual 100,000 units per year that we were exporting just about four years ago, we aim to further escalate our export volumes in the coming years. This fiscal year, we anticipate exporting around 3,00,000 units, covering diverse markets and products," he explained.

Responding to inquiries about the company's upcoming plant at Kharkhoda in Haryana, Bharti affirmed that the project forms a crucial part of Maruti Suzuki's ambitious growth strategy.

"Construction is underway at Kharkhoda, and the first plant with an annual production capacity of 2,50,000 units is on track to commence operations in 2025," he stated.

Furthermore, Bharti revealed that Maruti Suzuki has the capacity to establish four such plants, collectively capable of producing 10 lakh units, in Kharkhoda.

Maruti Suzuki aims to scale up its annual vehicle production to 4 million units by the fiscal year 2030-31, nearly doubling its current production levels.

(With PTI inputs)