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Gujarat’s Mundra port recently achieved the milestone of exporting a total of 10 lakh Maruti vehicles in the last ten years. Operated by Adani Ports & SEZ Limited, Mundra port is the largest private port in the country. The millionth Maruti vehicle to go through the Mundra port was an Oxford Blue-coloured Maruti Suzuki DZire that will eventually find its way to Chile.
Maruti Suzuki has its pre-delivery inspection unit and a stockyard just a couple of kilometres away from the international container terminal and ship dock, which makes it strategically easier for export. Maruti Suzuki started exporting cars in 1987 and it is one of the largest manufacturers in the world. The company, in its maiden year of export, exported 500 cars to Hungary and by expanding its reach, last year it exported cars to more than 100 countries covering four continents, namely South America, Asia, Europe and Africa.
Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, “Within a decade of commencement of exports from Mundra, we achieved the significant milestone of shipping our one-millionth car. At Maruti Suzuki, we have always aligned our exports strategy to keep pace with the changing market scenario.”
“Maruti Suzuki exports are aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship vision of “Make in India”. The efforts by Maruti Suzuki reflect India’s capabilities of manufacturing cars that meet global standards of quality, safety, design and technology,” he added.
The Mundra port allows car carries to dock at the port where they get loaded with cars and move towards the European and Middle -East market through Suez Canal. Mundra port in 2013-14 had handled 100 million tonnes of cargo in a year becoming the first Indian port to do so. It also became India’s biggest port in terms of cargo handled. The ports strategic location makes the flow of cargo easier and smoother. The port acts as a gateway to the markets in the Middle-East, Latin America and Europe.
The Indian economy is currently experiencing a slowdown with a current GDP growth of 5%. The automobile market has been experiencing a downfall on passengers’ vehicles by 31.6% marking the steepest decline since 1997-1998.
