Maruti Suzuki India, the country's largest carmaker, reported
highest ever monthly sales in March at 1,25,952 units, up 2.1 per cent.
As customers rushed to
buy cars ahead of excise duty hike, Indian automakers recorded
high growth in the month, with most posting double-digit growth primarily driven by the surge in demand of diesel variants.
Maruti Suzuki, however, continued to lag its peers. The company's sales of mini segment cars (M800, A-Star, Alto, WagonR) fell by 10.16 per cent, SX4 sales dropped by 58.15 per cent while Kizashi demand slipped by 53.40 per cent.
The compact segment, comprising Estilo, Swift and Ritz models, witnessed a 23.64 per cent jump in sales and its
bestseller DZiRE model sales increased by 60.06 per cent.
Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) registered sales of 39,122 units (31,822 units), up 22.9 per cent.
Arvind Saxena, director, marketing and sales, HMIL said, "The market continues to
pose many challenges; things can improve if interest rates come down this quarter."
Tata Motors posted a 20 per cent jump in sales to break the 100,000-vehicle mark for the first time. Mahindra, India's biggest SUV maker, said sales rose 25 per cent to their highest-ever level.
General Motors India has registered a growth of 13 per cent in March 2012 compared to the corresponding period last year at 10,588 vehicles driven by Chevrolet Beat and the Chevrolet Tavera.
In the two-wheeler segment, Hero MotoCorp reported 2.41 per cent increase in its sales for March at 5,28,290 units. The company sold 5,15,852 units during the same month last year.
For the entire 2011-12, the company crossed the 60-lakh sales mark for the first time.
Courtesy: Mail Today
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