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Barring passenger car market leader Maruti Suzuki, whose car sales dropped 17 per cent in November over the same month last year, the other manufacturers have posted double digit growth.
Maruti Suzuki, whose production was hit by a labour agitation, saw its overall vehicle sales (including utility vehicles and vans) falling 19 per cent in November to 82,870 units.
A Maruti spokesman said the sales drop was due to the slowdown in the market and production constraints. Sales of diesel cars grew at a higher pace than petrol vehicles, which too affected the company.
On a sequential basis, it was a mixed bag for the manufacturers with some of them such as Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Ford India improving sales in November, while for others such as Tata Motors, GM India, Volkswagen and M&M sales fell.
Mr Arvind Saxena, Director – Marketing and Sales, Hyundai Motor India, said, “Our immediate outlook on the market is not too bright as interest rates and fuel prices are unlikely to soften in the foreseeable future.”
Ford India's President and Managing Director, Mr Michael Boneham, said that the company was “nearing the end of a positive year where we continue to see strong customer acceptance of our brands and we are selling more despite challenging market conditions.”
Mr Rajesh Jejurikar, Chief Executive, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra, said the company had been able to maintain a consistent performance in November in spite of the market slowdown post the festive season.
Exports
While Maruti Suzuki's exports fell 11 per cent to 8,902 units in November, Hyundai's jumped 70 per cent to 22,080 units. Tata Motors said its exports increased three per cent to 4,349 units while Ford India doubled its exports to 1,769 units.
Ford India said it had started exporting cars to Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone and Ethiopia, taking the total export markets to 30.
Two-wheelers
Market leader Hero MotoCorp continued its growth, with the company maintaining five lakh plus units a month since August 2011, when it launched its new brand identity after severing its joint venture with Honda.
The growth in November after the festive season was significant as it followed record retail sales in October, said Mr Anil Dua, Senior Vice-President (Marketing & Sales), Hero MotoCorp.
In a press release, TVS Motor Company said it expected some moderation in the growth of two-wheelers over the next three to six months owing to the lower economic growth, high inflation, increased fuel prices and interest rates.
The company was confident of achieving the annual growth target of 15 per cent.
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