Maruti Suzuki India, the
country's largest car maker, has reported 79.4 per cent jump in its standalone net profit for the quarter ended March 31 at Rs 1,147.5 crore, mainly on the account of good sales of models like Ertiga, DZire and Swift.
The company had registered a net profit of Rs 639.8 crore during the corresponding period last year, it said in a statement.
During its meeting on Friday, the Board of Directors recommended
a dividend of 160 per cent , which is Rs 8 per share of face value Rs 5 for 2012-13. The dividend in 2011-12 was at 150 per cent, a statement from the company said.
Maruti's standalone net sales during the fourth quarter of 2012-13 went up 9.4 per cent to Rs 12,566.6 crore from Rs 11,486.4 crore in the year-ago period, the statement added.
CEO SPEAK: 'Diesel void is hurdle in expansion of Maruti'During January-March period, the carmaker sold a total of 3,43,709 vehicles, down 4.6 per cent from 3,60,334 units in the same period last year.
Commenting on the numbers, Maruti Suzuki India said: "The increase in net profit during the quarter was on account of
higher sales of new models such as Ertiga, DZire and Swift; cost reduction and localisation efforts, and the benefit of a favourable exchange rate."
For the entire 2012-13 financial year, Maruti Suzuki India posted a rise of 40.7 per cent in its standalone net profit at Rs 2,300 crore, against Rs 1,635.1 crore in the previous financial year.
CEO SPEAK: 'Preference for SUVs a challenge for Maruti' The company's standalone net sales went up by 21.4 per cent to Rs 42,122.9 crore in FY13 from Rs 34,705.9 crore in FY12, it added. Total vehicle sales of the company during last fiscal fell by 3.3 per cent to 11,71,434 units from 11,33,695 units in 2011-12.
Shares of Maruti Suzuki India were trading over 3 per cent higher at Rs 1,650 in afternoon trade on the Bombay Stock Exchange.
With inputs from PTI
PHOTO: Associated Press 
Special 
