Maruti Suzuki Signals Small Car Price Hike Amid Rising Costs and Middle East Conflict

Maruti Suzuki is working to raise prices on its small cars as mounting cost pressures begin to weigh on India's largest carmaker, a senior company executive has indicated. Speaking at the firm's monthly sales briefing, Partho Banerjee, senior executive officer for marketing and sales, said smaller models in the lineup had been carrying a waiting period of nearly a month in March 2026. 

"But very soon, we are going to review that we need to increase the prices and pass it on to our customers," Banerjee said.

Affordable small cars form the commercial backbone of Maruti Suzuki's business, commanding consistently strong demand among cost-conscious buyers in both urban and rural markets. 

Banerjee noted the company remained in a healthy position for now, pointing to a substantial order book. 

"So far, we are seeing that tailwinds are still there; headwinds are not there because we have got pending orders to the tune of 1.9 lakh, and the market is pretty buoyant. On production, right now, we are good, but on the cost part, there is an impact," he said.

The automaker has been contending with higher input costs driven by currency volatility and supply chain disruptions, pressures that have been compounded by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East as it enters its fifth week. 

The crisis has weighed on crude oil prices and pushed up the cost of raw materials and components more broadly, squeezing margins across the automotive industry.