Maruti Suzuki Ends a Record Quarter With 2 Lakh Pending Bookings
Demand outran supply in Maruti's biggest quarter yet. How the backlog has moved since March, what the Kharkhoda and Hansalpur plants add, and where demand came from.
Maruti Suzuki had about 2,00,000 bookings waiting to be filled at the end of September, after selling more vehicles between July and September 2026 than in any earlier quarter.
The company disclosed the backlog with its quarterly results on 27 October. It said demand kept running ahead of supply even with its added production capacity, which left its dealer network holding about 17 days of stock.
Maruti sold 6,96,654 vehicles in the quarter, exports included, 26.5% more than a year earlier. Its share of India's passenger vehicle market rose 2.2 percentage points to 40.8%.
The Backlog Has Grown Since March
Before October, Maruti last gave a backlog figure in April, with its results for the year to March 2026. Each results release since then has reported dealer stock in days.
| Quarter ended | Pending orders | Dealer stock |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2026 | About 1,90,000 | About 12 days |
| 30 June 2026 | Not reported | About 13 days |
| 30 September 2026 | About 2,00,000 | About 17 days |
In March, nearly 1,30,000 of the pending orders were for small cars in the 18% GST bracket. Maruti said at the time that limited production capacity was holding back its sales.
The October release does not split the backlog by segment or model. At about 2,00,000 units, it is larger than the 1,81,838 passenger vehicles Maruti sold in India in September.
Two New Plants Since May
Maruti has added 5 lakh units of yearly capacity in the current financial year. A second plant at Kharkhoda in Haryana began commercial production in May, and a fourth plant at Hansalpur in Gujarat started on 30 July.
| Site | State | Annual capacity | Added since April 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hansalpur | Gujarat | 10 lakh | 2.5 lakh, from Plant D |
| Manesar | Haryana | 9 lakh | None announced |
| Gurugram | Haryana | 5 lakh | None announced |
| Kharkhoda | Haryana | 5 lakh | 2.5 lakh, from the second plant |
| Total | Gujarat and Haryana | 29 lakh | 5 lakh |
Kharkhoda builds the Brezza and the Victoris midsize SUV. Hansalpur's new Plant D will first make the e Vitara, Maruti's first electric car.
Production rose as well. Maruti's monthly production releases show it built 7,12,469 vehicles in July to September, up 30.2% on a year earlier.
Managing director Hisashi Takeuchi said in July that Hansalpur and an upcoming plant at Sanand, also in Gujarat, are central to a long-term target of making 40 lakh vehicles a year in India.
Where the Demand Came From
The results release says Maruti's "recently introduced SUVs" contributed to the growth, without naming them. Maruti said its SUV sales rose 68.2% in the quarter and its small car sales 35.9%.
Its most recent SUV launch was the new Brezza on 24 July, which added a Turbo Boosterjet petrol engine to the compact SUV's line-up.
Maruti has not published waiting periods by model. Its backlog is still larger than it was in March, even with two new plants running.