Maruti Suzuki India Limited reported robust sales performance for December 2024, with total vehicle sales reaching 2,17,854 units. This represents a significant improvement in the company's market performance and reflects strong consumer demand during the month.

Strong Year-on-Year Growth Performance

The automotive manufacturer demonstrated impressive growth momentum with a substantial 22.17% increase in total sales compared to the corresponding period last year. The company's December 2024 sales figures show a marked improvement from the 1,78,300 units sold in December 2023.

Market Expectations Exceeded

The December sales performance surpassed market analyst expectations, which had estimated total sales at 2,12,000 units for the month. Maruti Suzuki's actual sales exceeded these estimates by 5,854 units, representing a 2.76% outperformance against market projections.

Sales Performance Analysis

The strong sales figures indicate robust consumer demand and effective market strategies implemented by the company during December 2024. The significant year-on-year growth of over 22% demonstrates the automotive manufacturer's ability to capitalize on market opportunities and maintain its competitive position in the Indian automobile sector.

This December performance reflects the company's continued strength in the domestic automotive market and its ability to meet consumer demand effectively during the month.

Suzuki has suspended sales of the Fronx in New Zealand following a critical safety failure that resulted in a one-star rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP). The decision comes after a rear seatbelt retractor failed during laboratory crash testing, prompting immediate safety concerns from regulators.

Safety Rating and Test Results

The ANCAP testing revealed significant safety deficiencies in the Fronx, with the model receiving the lowest possible one-star rating. The critical failure occurred during a full-width frontal crash test when the rear seatbelt retractor released excessive belt length, leaving the rear crash test dummy completely unrestrained and causing it to strike the front seat.

ANCAP officials noted that the one-star rating reflects poor performance across multiple crash tests and inadequate levels of adult and child occupant protection. Such seatbelt failures are considered rare but extremely serious safety defects.

Regulatory Response and Recall

New Zealand's vehicle safety regulator, the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), has taken immediate action following the test results. Officials met with Suzuki New Zealand to demand urgent remedial measures, emphasizing that such failures could lead to serious injury or death in real-world crashes.

Suzuki New Zealand has issued a recall for 1,115 vehicles, acknowledging that the rear seatbelt retractor "may not perform as designed." The company has begun contacting all Fronx owners with explicit instructions to immediately cease using the rear seats while investigations continue.

Market Impact and Timeline

The Fronx was introduced in New Zealand in June 2025 and launched in Australia in August 2025. The ANCAP safety rating applies to all variants of the model across both markets. ANCAP has advised consumers to carefully consider the unresolved component failure before making any purchase decisions.

Both Australian and New Zealand vehicle safety regulators have been formally notified of the seatbelt failure, with ANCAP confirming that adult and child passengers should avoid rear seat travel until the cause is identified and proper rectifications are completed.

Indian Market Performance

In India, the model is marketed as the Maruti Suzuki Fronx, manufactured in Gujarat and sold through Maruti's premium Nexa dealership network. The compact SUV has achieved strong sales performance in the Indian market, establishing itself as one of Maruti Suzuki's key volume models in 2025.

Notably, the India-specification Fronx has not undergone safety testing by either India's Global NCAP or the domestic Bharat NCAP programmes, leaving questions about the safety performance of the Indian variant.