The Hindu Business Line : Auto makers enter new fiscal on a positive note

Mumbai, May 1 The top two car manufacturers started the current fiscal on a positive note with the sales figures going up in April. For Maruti Suzuki, the sales grew by 15 per cent to 71,748 on a year-on-year basis.

This is the fourth consecutive month that the company’s sales crossed 70,000 units mark. Similarly, the second largest carmaker Hyundai showed an 11 per cent growth by selling 44,371 units.

However, Maruti’s total sales slipped from the peak of 77,955 units it clocked in March. However, Hyundai sold close to 4,000 additional units in April when compared to March.

The A2 segment of Maruti that comprises Alto, Wagon R, Zen, Swift and A-Star, the sales increased nine per cent to 46,817 units. The A2 segment of Hyundai that comprises i10, Santro, Getz and i20 clocked 41,258 units. Maruti’s A3 segment which includes SX4 and D’Zire, the sales grew 69 per cent to 7,066 units against 3,073 units that Hyundai (Verna and Accent) clocked in this segment.

For Hyundai, the domestic market accounted for 22,247 units while exports totalled at 22,124 registering almost 20 per cent growth.

“As compared to last year we saw a modest growth in April 2009. However, we still feel that the market is far from a complete turnaround and it will be a while before we see healthy double digit growth,” said Mr Arvind Saxena, Senior Vice-President, Marketing and Sales, Hyundai Motors India Ltd.

Utility vehicle major Mahindra & Mahindra sold 18,447 units, showing 36 per cent growth. “All our products including the Scorpio, Bolero and the Xylo continue to outperform the industry. The Xylo has posted its highest monthly sales of 3,509 units in April,” said Mr Rajesh Jejurikar, Chief of Operations, Automotive Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

However, Mahindra Renault’s joint venture product Logan showed 69 per cent decline at 550 units. The premium car makers Honda Siel Cars India showed a 7 per cent growth at 3,656 units in April.

“We have shown resilience during the slowdown and have entered the new financial year on a positive note. We are very excited about our new premium car, Honda Jazz which will be launched very soon in India,” said Mr Jnaneswar Sen, Vice-President, Marketing, Honda Siel Cars India Ltd.

Two-wheelers

Hero Honda, the largest two-wheeler maker, saw a 30 per cent surge in sales at 3.7 lakh in April. The company sold 17,000 units more in April than in March. TVS Motor Company has posted 3 per cent growth in April at 1.13 lakh against 1.09 lakh during the year-ago period.

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