Maruti Suzuki is done confining its premium cars to major cities. The country’s largest automaker recently opened its 200th NEXA Studio outlet in Kharkhoda, Haryana, signaling a massive push into rural and semi-urban markets.
This rapid expansion proves the brand is serious about selling its more expensive models in areas previously dominated entirely by its budget-focused Arena showrooms.
The Strategy Behind The Studio
When the premium channel first launched in July 2015, it was strictly a big-city play. The company set up 100 massive sales outlets covering 94 cities within a year, designed to push feature-heavy cars like the Baleno and Grand Vitara to urban buyers.
However, the data quickly showed that buyers in smaller towns had the cash and the desire for the same premium experience, but lacked local access to the showrooms.
Building massive, glass-fronted dealerships in smaller towns makes no financial sense. To solve this, the company conceptualized the NEXA Studio format in August 2024. These smaller outlets are specifically tailored for non-urban geographies.
They deliver the same premium showroom environment found in metros, but crucially, they cram sales, vehicle servicing, and spare parts facilities under one roof. This setup means a buyer in a small town does not have to drive a hundred kilometres just to get their expensive SUV serviced.
The Rural Sales Surge
Setting up 200 of these dedicated premium showrooms across 173 districts in just 18 months requires serious capital from dealer partners. The company’s management states that this aggressive rollout is purely a response to heavy demand from aspirational buyers outside major cities.
The sales figures absolutely back this up. Over the past five years, the rural contribution to the company’s total passenger vehicle sales has jumped from 38 percent to roughly 52 percent by early 2026. When it comes to the highly profitable utility vehicle segment, rural buyers now make up 47 percent of the brand’s total SUV volume.
The premium network as a whole moved over 5.4 lakh vehicles in the last financial year, accounting for nearly 30 percent of total domestic sales. Models like the Fronx crossover, which crossed the one-lakh sales mark rapidly, have been crucial in driving this rural shift.
Gearing Up For The Electric Shift
Currently, the overall sales network operates over 740 outlets across 530 cities. With the 200th Studio operational, the automaker is chasing a massive target. Relying heavily on rural dealer investments, Maruti Suzuki plans to triple these specialized facilities, aiming for 600 active Studio outlets by the end of the 2030-31 financial year.
This rural expansion serves a crucial dual purpose. The manufacturer has officially confirmed that its highly anticipated first battery-electric vehicle, the e Vitara, will be sold exclusively through this premium network. By establishing these fully equipped Studio outlets, complete with trained technicians and parts access, the company is pre-emptively ensuring that buyers deep in the heartland will have the necessary after-sales support to confidently buy an electric Maruti.
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