ACKO Drive Awards 2026: Maruti Suzuki India Rises to the Top, Wins 2026 ACKO Drive Car Manufacturer of the Year

In a year of major upheaval for the automobile manufacturing industry as a whole, Maruti Suzuki has won the 2026 Car Manufacturer of the Year TOTM for its sheer size and scale as well as its efforts to boost safety, modernise, and keep itself relevant. This year will stand out for the launches of two very strategically important new cars, the Victoris and the e Vitara, as India’s largest manufacturer shores up its SUV portfolio to stay competitive in a shifting market. These two models are part of a plan that will eventually include eight SUVs. 

Maruti Suzuki is also enjoying a string of five-star NCAP safety badges – the top-selling Dzire, the Invicto, and the two new SUVs have all achieved top scores from various NCAP organisations, and if that’s not enough, the Victoris doubled down with five stars from Global as well as Bharat NCAP.

The company is riding high on exports, notching up 3.3 lakh units sent abroad in FY 2025, a 17.5 percent YoY increase. In September 2025 alone, a new record of 42,204 units were exported. The Made-in-India five-door Jimny has made a splash in Japan, Suzuki’s own home market. More than one lakh units of the Fronx have been exported as of this year, and of course the e Vitara is made here for the world. Made-in-India cars now account for 60 percent of Suzuki’s worldwide output. 

On November 2 this year, the 42-year-old carmaker achieved a staggering record – 30 million units sold, in total, since the Maruti 800 was officially launched in December 1983. It took 22 years to sell its first five million cars, showing just how much the market has grown in this period. The Alto is still its all-time best-seller, at 4.71 million units. With sales of 1,28,652 in H1 FY2026, the Dzire is more popular than some other brands’ entire portfolios put together. 

Maruti Suzuki reported over five lakh bookings and sold more than 4.1 lakh vehicles during this year’s festive period. In May, its service network handled a record 24.5 lakh vehicles across more than 5,400 locations.

A new manufacturing facility at Kharkhoda, Haryana, went online early this year. A second plant at the same site is under construction, and a third phase has just been commissioned, with an additional investment of ₹7,410 crore.

A comprehensive tech strategy roadmap announced this year will see ₹700 crore invested in biogas, flex fuel, and other renewable energy projects as well as improving overall efficiency and weight reduction for its cars. 

With its strong presence in the hatchback and entry-level market segments, Maruti Suzuki stands to gain from this year’s GST 2.0 rollout, making cars more affordable than they have been in a long time.