In a move that proves car manufacturing isn’t just about nuts, bolts, and horsepower—but also about breaking stereotypes—Maruti Suzuki India Limited is steadily increasing women participation across its manufacturing facilities.
At its Gurugram and Manesar plants, the country’s largest carmaker has, over the past two years, ramped up hiring of women in core vehicle manufacturing and engine-transmission roles—areas traditionally dominated by men. And no, this isn’t a “symbolic” shift. These women are actively working across assembly lines and quality control, ensuring that every car rolling out meets Maruti’s precision standards.
What’s refreshing is that the company isn’t handing out “special roles”—women recruits undergo the same rigorous training and skill development programs as their male counterparts. Equal work, equal training, and importantly, equal growth opportunities.
Speaking on the initiative, Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, highlighted that while women have long been part of functions like engineering, finance, and marketing, the real integration happens on the shopfloor—where cars are actually built, not just sold.
And building this inclusive shopfloor hasn’t been a “just hire and hope” strategy. Maruti Suzuki has gone the extra mile by redesigning infrastructure to better support women employees. This includes dedicated restrooms, changing areas, crèche facilities, and enhanced safety measures like patrolling during evening shifts. The company has also implemented mandatory POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) training for all employees—because culture, like cars, needs careful engineering too.
The results? Over 190 women have joined the shopfloor workforce in just a year, taking the company’s total women workforce across functions to more than 1,300.
In an industry where “horsepower” has long been the headline, Maruti Suzuki is quietly adding another metric—“her power”—and this time, it’s not optional equipment.
