Pressure on discretionary spends to hit near term volumes for Maruti Suzuki

But interest among first-time buyers may help it boost market share

An 81 per cent dip in volumes in the June quarter (Q1) of financial year 2020-21 (FY21) saw India’s largest passenger vehicle maker, Maruti Suzuki, report its first loss since listing. It reported a loss of Rs 249 crore, compared with a net profit of Rs 1,435 crore a year ago.

Pre-tax loss came in at Rs 345 crore, compared with a profit of Rs 1,910 crore in Q1FY20. Losses would have been higher but for a 58 per cent year-on-year (YoY) jump in other income to Rs 1,318 crore. 

Given that its production and sales were shut for a large