Maruti ships 3 lakh units

New Delhi: The shipment of 571 Altos to Hungary saw India's leading car manufacturer and exporter, Maruti Udyog, crossing a cumulative export figure of 3 lakh units. In March 2003, Maruti's cumulative exports to Europe crossed the 2-lakh mark.

The company's exports have been riding on the success of the Alto in Europe. The total export sales of the Alto touched 32,240 units in 2002-03. In January 2002, Maruti commenced exports of the new Alto to Europe that complies with the tough Euro-3 norms.

The model is all set to break the records of its predecessors. Last fiscal the company's export revenue was Rs 670 crore. The strong showing has continued in this fiscal. In April-July 2003 the company exported 17,746 units. The export target for this fiscal is 39,000 units.

The major success story has been in the Netherlands where, for the first time ever, the Alto achieved the Number 1 position in the A-segment with a market share of 18.7 per cent in the calendar year 2002. Also Maruti's cumulative exports to the Netherlands crossed the 50,000-mark during the past year.

Maruti also achieved a substantial growth in exports to Austria, Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Italy and Sri Lanka. The evergreen Maruti 800 saw a revival of sorts with a considerable growth in exports.

Maruti presently exports to over 40 countries, with major buyers in Europe, which accounts for over 70 per cent share of exports. The top 10 destinations of exports from Maruti are the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Chile, the UK, Hungary, Nepal, Greece, Bangladesh and France.