Market leader Maruti Suzuki continue to register good sales as its March figures show 28 per cent growth over last year at 1.21-lakh units, while for its nearest rivals -- Hyundai Motor and Tata Motors – the sales figures were not that impressive. For other carmakers like Ford and Volkswagen, besides luxury brands Mercedes-Benz and Audi, the sales skyrocketed.
Maruti Suzuki’s total sales of 1,21,952 units included 11,528 units of exports. It was in the mass A2 segment, the carmaker’s sales grew 43.3 per cent with 78,460 units. However, Hyundai Motor registered a modest 1 per cent growth in March sales at 55,552 units, with domestic sales declining marginally.
On the other hand, Tata Motors’ saw its passenger car sales drop marginally to 27,678 units from 27,760 units in the same period last year, with its sales of flagship ‘Indica’ model down 40 per cent.
Riding on the success of its small car Figo, Ford India’s domestic sales jumped 10.62 per cent to 10,485 units, while its first quarter sales (January-March 2011) recorded a strong 97 per cent growth at 29,804 units. Ford India plans to bring the all-new global premium sedan Fiesta into India later this year.
However, Japanese carmaker Honda reported a 39.67 per cent decline in sales at 3,576 units in March. But Toyota achieved its highest-ever monthly sales of 9,726 units last month, registering a growth of 41 per cent. The growth was largely driven by the impressive sales of its newly-launch sedan Etios that sold 3,257 units last month, while it has a booking of around 30,000 units. Similarly, Nissan India also saw its car sales jump by over 20-fold to 2,101 units against 89 units in the same month last year.
German carmaker Volkswagen also continued with its impressive growth as it sold 8,095 vehicles in March, with hatchback Polo and sedan Vento alone recording combined sales of 7,854 units.
In the luxury segment, Mercedes-Benz India posted its best-ever monthly sales at 833 units, a growth of 89 per cent, while in the year so far (January-March), it has sold 2,135 units, its best-ever quarter sales. Its rival Audi sold 681 cars, registering an impressive 210 per cent growth, while its first quarter sales stood at 1,611 units, a growth of 107 per cent.
In the two-wheeler segment, Hero Honda reported its highest-ever monthly sales at over 5.15-lakh units, a jump of 24.41 per cent, while Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) saw just 2 per cent
jump in its total sales at 1.47-lakh units. Similarly, Chennai-based TVS Motor witnessed a 27.27 per cent increase in sales at over 1.86-lakh units. India Yamaha Motor also reported a healthy growth at 33.90 per cent increase in March at 36,768 units.
