New Delhi, Oct. 2 -- Japan's Suzuki Motor Co. Ltd. has asked suppliers in India to halt production for one day a week for machine maintenance to prevent unscheduled stoppages and maintain quality ahead of ramping up production, according to two people aware of the development.

This is the first time such a directive has been issued, the people said. It comes as Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. prepares to boost annual production to 4 million cars by 2030 from about 2.4 million at present.

When contacted, Maruti Suzuki did not provide a comment for this story.

Suzuki Motor, by way of Maruti Suzuki, counts India as its biggest market and, increasingly, a key manufacturing base from which it aims to increase exports to destinations including Japa...