The automotive industry in India is one of the largest in the world and one of the fastest growing globally.

India's passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturing industry is the sixth largest in the world, with an annual production of more than 3.7 million units in 2010. [1] According to recent reports, India is set to overtake Brazil to become the sixth largest passenger vehicle producer in the world, growing 16-18 per cent to sell around three million units in the course of 2011-12.[2] In 2009, India emerged as Asia's fourth largest exporter of passenger cars, behind Japan, South Korea, and Thailand.[3]. In 2010, India reached as Asia's third largest exporter of passenger cars, behind Japan and South Korea beating Thailand. As of 2010, India is home to 40 million passenger vehicles. More than 3.7 million automotive vehicles were produced in India in 2010 (an increase of 33.9%), making the country the second fastest growing automobile market in the world.[4][5] According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, annual vehicle sales are projected to increase to 5 million by 2015 and more than 9 million by 2020.[6] By 2050, the country is expected to top the world in car volumes with approximately 611 million vehicles on the nation's roads.[7] The majority of India's car manufacturing industry is based around three clusters in the south, west and north. The southern cluster near Chennai is the biggest with 35% of the revenue share. The western hub near Maharashtra is 33% of the market. The northern cluster is primarily Haryana with 32%.[8]Chennai, is also referred to as the "Detroit of India"[9] with the India operations of Ford, Hyundai, Renault and Nissan headquartered in the city and BMWhaving an assembly plant on the outskirts. Chennai accounts for 60% of the country's automotive exports.[10] Gurgaon and Manesar in Haryana form the northern cluster where the country's largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki, is based.[11] The Chakan corridor near Pune, Maharashtra is the western cluster with companies like General Motors, Volkswagen, Skoda, Mahindra and Mahindra, Tata Motors, Mercedes Benz, Land Rover, Fiat and Force Motors[12][13]having assembly plants in the area. Aurangabad with Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen also forms part of the western cluster. Another emerging cluster is in the state of Gujarat with manufacturing facility of General Motors in Halol and further planned for Tata Nano at Sanand. Ford, Maruti Suzuki and Peugeot-Citroenplants are also set to come up in Gujarat.[14] Kolkatta with Hindustan Motors, Noida with Honda and Bangalore with Toyota are some of the other automotive manufacturing regions around the country.[15][16][17] The first car ran on India's roads in 1897. Until the 1930s, cars were imported directly, but in very small numbers. Embryonic automotive industry emerged in India in the 1940s. Mahindra & Mahindra was established by two brothers as a trading company in 1945, and began assembly of Jeep CJ-3A utility vehicles under license from Willys.[19] The company soon branched out into the manufacture of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and agricultural tractors.[20] Following the independence, in 1947, the Government of India and the private sector launched efforts to create an automotive component manufacturing industry to supply to the automobile industry. However, the growth was relatively slow in the 1950s and 1960s due to nationalisation and the license raj which hampered the Indian private sector. After 1970, the automotive industry started to grow, but the growth was mainly driven by tractors, commercial vehicles and scooters. Cars were still a major luxury. Japanese manufacturers entered the Indian market ultimately leading to the establishment of Maruti Udyog. A number of foreign firms initiated joint ventures with Indian companies.[21]

In the 1980s, a number of Japanese manufacturers launched joint-ventures for building motorcycles and light commercial-vehicles. It was at this time that the Indian government chose Suzuki for its joint-venture to manufacture small cars. Following the economic liberalisation in 1991 and the gradual weakening of the license raj, a number of Indian and multi-national car companies launched operations. Since then, automotive component and automobile manufacturing growth has accelerated to meet domestic and export demands.[21] Following economic liberalization in India in 1991, the Indian automotive industry has demonstrated sustained growth as a result of increased competitiveness and relaxed restrictions. Several Indian automobile manufacturers such as Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra and Mahindra, expanded their domestic and international operations. India's robust economic growth led to the further expansion of its domestic automobile market which has attracted significant India-specific investment by multinational automobile manufacturers.[22] In February 2009, monthly sales of passenger cars in India exceeded 100,000 units[23] and has since grown rapidly to a record monthly high of 182,992 units in October 2009.[24] From 2003 to 2010, car sales in India have progressed at a CAGR of 13.7%, and with only 10% of Indian households owning a car in 2009 (whereas this figure reaches 80% in Switzerland for example)[25] this progression is unlikely to stop in the coming decade. [26] Congestion of Indian roads, more than market demand, will likely be the limiting factor.[27] SIAM is the apex industry body representing all the vehicle manufacturers, home-grown and international, in India.[28]

In recession, Maruti zooms to rural market for sales

The global meltdown has certainly hit the Indian car industry hard. As the figures prove, the industry posted a growth rate of 11 per cent from April to October 2007 which has fallen to just 3 per cent this year. The sale of small cars (the entry-level segment) has also decreased in the face of the credit squeeze. To compensate for the loss, Maruti now plans to tap the rural market, 60 per cent of which runs on cash, said R S Kalsi, chief general manager (sales), Maruti Suzuki India Limited. He was in Ludhiana on Friday to launch Marutis new model A-star. Despite all odds, we have launched a new model at the time of recession to bring some excitement into the market, he added. On the issue of the global economic slump, Kalsi said: Worldwide, sales in the car industry have reduced by 40 per cent. But the Indian market is still performing well. The rural market has a lot of potential. When asked about the reason for car rates not being slashed despite a fall in steel prices, he said: The effect of the fall in steel prices will be seen at the end of financial year only. For now, prices will remain the same.

Maruti has appointed 2,000 sales executives to target customers in the rural areas and started special schemes for village panchayats, rural teachers and rural officers. A mobile van has been put on standby to provide car servicing at the villagers doorstep. Also, the company is offering discounts ranging from Rs 3,000 to 8,000 on various models in the rural market. Besides, the car manufacturer also plans to provide several incentives to the urban market.

Global Recession and Indian Response - 1: The Case of Maruti Suzuki

The global recession has hit the world economies badly. The growth prospects of companies were affected adversely. As companies aimed to survive or remain profitable they instituted severe measures to close down or realign businesses and operations and implement severe cost compression measures. Jobs were lost and savings were wiped out while purchasing power crumbled and confidence wilted. Indian economy too faced the adverse impact of the global recession with reduced GDP growth and heightened liquidity crisis. The fiscal year 2008-09 represented one of the most excruciating years for Corporate India. Different companies, of course, were affected by the economic recession differently and also responded to the evolving situation differently. The author examines in a series of papers, the first of which is this paper, as to how Maruti Suzuki, Indias leading automobile manufacturer responded to the situation. Maruti Suzuki the small car titan Maruti Suzuki India Limited (Maruti Suzuki) requires no introduction. Maruti Suzuki was set up on 14th December 1983, in collaboration with Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan, which was an innovator in small car technology. Maruti Suzuki revolutionized the Indian automobile industry with its small cars and vans, and provided unprecedented choice to the Indian automobile user, consistently from the 1980s. Set up to produce 100,000 cars a year the company grew by leaps and bounds to reach a production capacity of a million cars a year by 2009. Maruti has become an icon of Indias industrial capability with four plants, nineteen related companies, several hundred dealers, vendors, service entities and business associates. Despite the entry of several global automobile majors into India and the foray by Indias own leading truck and bus maker, Tata Motors, into the car sector, Maruti continues to hold an impressive market share of 55% in cars and vans. The company has sold over 7 million cars cumulatively and despite the domestic orientation exported over 500,000 cars cumulatively. Like every other company, Maruti Suzuki was buffeted by the adverse economic developments of 2008 and 2009. Recession hits automobile markets rather instantly and intensively, with sharp curtailment of automobile finance and postponement of automobile purchases by individuals and institutions. The car industry did register a healthy growth of 15% in physical sales during Q1 of FY09 but saw the growth plummet to 0.5% in Q2 and then

to a negative growth of 15.5% in Q3. The growth recovered to 1.6% in Q4. In the overall for the year, it was creditable that Marutis vehicle sales increased by 1.6% to 792,167 and the total income increased by 14.3% to Rs 214,538 million (USD 4.47 billion; USD 1 = Rs 48). Yet, given the growth impetus that existed in the company, total expenditure increased faster by 17.6% to Rs 187,610 million, Earnings before interest, depreciation, tax and amortizations (EBIDTA) reduced by 22.3% to Rs 24,333 million, Profit before tax (PBT) reduced by 33.1% to Rs 16,758 million and Profit after tax (PAT) reduced by 29.6% to Rs 12,187 million. Three other critical parameters of performance showed interesting trends. Inventories declined by 13.1% to Rs 9,023 million and sundry debtors understandably increased by 40.2% to Rs 9,189 million. Fixed assets increased by 22.3% to Rs 49,321 million, given the significant capacity creation that was effected. Given that around 75% of the companys components are outsourced working capital management plays a key role. It is significant that the companys inventory turnover ratio increased significantly increased from 15.7 in FY08 to 16.7 in FY09 while the average receivables holding period increased only marginally from 12.2 days in FY09 to 12.4 days in FY09. Sound finances and robust strategies The manner in which Maruti Suzuki withstood the recession underlines the fact that a cumulative set of virtuous strategies can help a company withstand the volatility of economy and the vicissitudes of business. Being virtually debt free and enjoying healthy cash balances (Rs 44,907 million), the companys ability to fund growth from internal generations has laid a solid financial foundation for operational resilience. The company consistently followed prudent financial policies whether relating to dealer incentives or vendor payments which helped the company to build strengths in these two vital stake holders. In addition, continuous efforts at cost cutting and productivity improvement, even in good times, helped the company make reasonable profits despite the higher commodity prices and a weaker rupee. The company recorded complete capacity utilization and provided full employment to its workforce despite the recession. Maruti Suzukis strength lies in its emphasis on product-market equity. Continuous expansion of product range (8 new models in 40 months; a new car and a new engine in the year of recession), focus on product quality, service infrastructure and customer connectivity. Marutis products continuously rank high in J D Power surveys on excellence in automotive performance as well as in customer satisfaction. The companys continuously expanding distribution network of 681 sales outlets spread over 454 cities and towns, 315 pre-owned car outlets in 181 cities and towns, and 2767 service workshops across 1314 cities and towns remains the bulwark of a foresighted marketing strategy that the company steadfastly pursued. A network of over 50 driving schools further reinforces customer connectivity. Maruti is perhaps one of the leading companies with an integrated operational excellence model. The Japanese parentage has, no doubt, helped the company to implement the famous Japanese automobile management systems from the very beginning. Maruti was a pioneer in India in terms of a massive vendor development system covering both tier-I and tier-II, and even tier-III vendors. This has helped the company create a contiguous vendor eco-system and implement a just-in-time inventory system, customized to Indian scenario. In terms of manufacturing too, Maruti Suzuki adopted well the parents practices of balancing high

throughput and high product variety. An end-to-end optimized supply channel drives Marutis business efficiencies. A robust financial strategy well supported by a strong product-market strategy and an efficient supply chain strategy provided Maruti with strong fundamentals and the capability to withstand the severe recessionary climate. Marutis example illustrates that an integrated operational framework that is strategically designed and assiduously reinforced over the years helps companies withstand turbulent times. Organizing for core competencies A forward looking organization innovates in organization design to ensure core competencies for a sustainable future. A competent board that comprises the representatives of Suzuki, the parent, the full time executive directors of Maruti Suzuki and eminent retired CEOs of leading Indian companies as independent directors brings scholastic vision to the company. A business and operations team well honed in the Japanese management techniques provides business and operational efficiency. Simplicity in organizational design leads to focus, empowerment, responsibility and accountability, and results in superior performance. The latest Maruti organization design comprises five verticals: marketing & sales business vertical, production business vertical, supply chain business vertical, engineering business vertical and administration business vertical. Each is headed by two managing executive officers, one of whom is also a board member. Together with the MD & CEO they constitute the core leadership team. This unique system has enhanced decision speed, execution agility and business performance in the company. Each business vertical has its task cut out. The marketing & sales business vertical has the task of strengthening the sales and service infrastructure, increasing the reach to rural markets on one hand, and entering relatively untapped urban segments such as taxi and institutional markets on the other. The production business vertical has the task of enhancing manufacturing standards to higher and more exacting levels. Reducing line change set-up time, which was reduced from 7 days to current 1.5 days, to even lower levels is a key factor for manufacturing flexibility. Balancing automation and human intervention is a particularly relevant factor. The supply chain business vertical has a major task in terms of enhancing localization and upgrading quality continuously. The engineering business vertical has perhaps the most exacting task of building a total engineering capability to develop new models with granular cost points. The administration business vertical which provides corporate services has the tasks of enhancing human resources base, leveraging information technology, framing financial framework and assuring corporate governance. The combined set of objectives of these five business verticals constitutes Marutis quest for future, which Maruti calls as quest unlimited. Sufficient for today and superior for future? There is no doubt that by charting through the recessionary waters successfully Maruti Suzuki has demonstrated its strengths and capabilities. These have been a result of the typical hands-on Japanese approach of focusing on fundamentals and continuously enhancing competitiveness through kaizen. Maruti Suzuki brought a new wave of world class

industrialization to India, long before the economy was liberalized in the 1990s. Should Maruti Suzuki be content with retaining its exemplar role or play a pioneering role once again? Is Maruti conceptualizing the necessary strategies and building the enabling competencies for such a breakthrough iconic role again? Will Suzukis tight ownership and management offer an opportunity or pose a constraint in such an endeavor? Industrial scenario in India is significantly different from what existed in the early 1980s when Maruti Suzuki entered the country. At that time Maruti with the technological backing of Suzuki and a creative leadership team led a technological and business revolution in the automobile industry, virtually single handed. Today, however, industrial competencies are resident in a much wider spectrum of companies and the competitive dynamics are far more complex. Launch of an indigenously designed micro car, Nano, by the very Indian Tata Motors reflects the maturing of skills in the Indian industry. Marutis FY09 Annual Report discusses the enhanced design and engineering competencies the company now has. There is no evidence, however, in the report that the company is geared to design and develop a whole new automobile by itself. Marutis R&D expenditure at 0.42% of the sales turnover is hardly sufficient to design and launch a new car. While it is commendable that the engineering talent base has been virtually doubled to 730 people in just one year (FY09) and would be increased to 1000 people by 2011, the potential to further harness Indian engineering talent to design new cars and vans needs to be more comprehensively leveraged. Higher levels of capital and revenue expenditure in the R&D domain are called for. Clearly, India is emerging as a global hub for small car production, an initiative ironically is being led by Hyundai Motor, which never believed in small cars until it entered India. In contrast Suzuki Motor was a pioneer in small car design and manufacture for decades. Perhaps, Maruti Suzuki India Limited and Suzuki Motor Corporation need to develop a new global strategic plan for small car design and manufacture for global needs. The plan could also focus on the van segment which could lead a new revolution in intra-city movement of goods and passengers. It is clear that a focused business model with technological strengths and management efficiencies has assured market and financial leadership for Maruti Suzuki, even in the toughest of the times. Strong fundamentals should therefore continue to ensure a vibrant future for the company.