Maruti Suzuki now dispatches 1 in 4 cars by rail; targets 1 in 3 by 2030 to cut emissions, fuel use
Times of India | 5 June 2025
KOLKATA: From dispatching just one in 20 cars by rail a decade ago, India's largest carmaker sent one in four cars to dealers by rail last fiscal year. Five years from now, the company plans to dispatch over one in three cars by rail.In 2024-25, Maruti Suzuki dispatched over 5 lakh vehicles through Indian Railways, up from 65,700 cars in 2014-15. The company said the move helped avoid over 1.8 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions and saved over 630 lakh litres of fuel. To date, Maruti Suzuki cumulatively dispatched 24 lakh vehicles in the past 10 years.Speaking on the milestone, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd MD & CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said, “Reducing carbon emissions is a top priority for us, both in our products and in our operations. Maruti Suzuki was the first company in India to obtain an Automobile-Freight-Train-Operator license in 2013. Since then, we dispatched nearly 24 lakh vehicles through rail mode. By FY 2030-31, we plan to increase the share of vehicle dispatches through railways to 35%.”Apart from being a low-emission and energy-efficient mode of transportation, officials said it also helped ease road congestion. Maruti Suzuki currently dispatches vehicles to more than 20 hubs using railways, from where over 600 cities across India are served. Port locations of Mundra and Pipavav, used by the company for exports, are also served using railways.