Back in May, Suzuki made headlines when it emerged that the company could overtake Honda as the world’s second-largest Japanese automaker, with its own projections pointing to nearly 4 million vehicles sold this fiscal year.

That target is looking more achievable, with a big contribution from its Indian subsidiary, Maruti Suzuki.

Maruti Suzuki has recently opened a fourth plant at its Hansalpur manufacturing complex in Gujarat, bringing the facility’s total production capacity to 1 million vehicles a year. The new Plant D adds 250,000 units of annual capacity and will produce the e Vitara, which made its Philippine debut at this year’s PIMS.

The facility houses India’s first automobile in-plant railway siding.

Maruti has invested around INR 253 billion (roughly PHP 162 billion) in the 259-hectare Hansalpur facility. Production there began in 2017, and all four plants are now operational.

Hansalpur has also become a major export hub for Maruti, accounting for nearly 47% of the company’s exports in FY2025-26. Across its Indian factories, Maruti now has the capacity to produce close to 3 million vehicles a year, with a long-term target of reaching 4 million units annually in India.

For comparison, Suzuki’s factories outside India produced a combined 1.19 million vehicles in FY2025. Japan accounted for 975,190 units, while other overseas plants produced another 210,622. India alone produced 2.35 million vehicles during the same period.

With India already accounting for the bulk of Suzuki’s global production and Maruti Suzuki continuing to add capacity, the company is getting closer to its 4-million-unit target. If Suzuki can sustain that growth, overtaking Honda could be just a matter of time.