Autos see jump in sales; hopes high on festive season

New Delhi: The country’s second-largest carmaker Hyundai Motor India Ltd today reported 12.4 percent increase in total sales to 57,808 units in September.

The company sold 51,444 units in the corresponding year-ago period, Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) said in a statement.

In the domestic market, the company’s sales grew by 13.2 percent to 35,955 units from 31,756 units in same month last year, it added.

Exports of the company also increased by 11 percent during the month under review to 21,853 units from 19,688 units in the year-ago period, the statement said.

Commenting on the sales performance, HMIL Director (Marketing and Sales) Arvind Saxena said: “We will launch our much awaited compact car Eon this month. In spite of a sluggish market we expect Eon to boost our sales and increase market share.”

In the A2 segment (Santro, i10 and i20), the company sold 49,552 units, while in the A3 segment (Accent and Verna), sales stood at 8,051 units.

The A5 segment (Sonata Transform) of HMIL witnessed sales of seven units, while its new SUV Santa Fe attracted 198 buyers during the month.Two-wheeler maker Suzuki Motorcycle India today reported 29 percent increase in sales in September this year to 29,094 units.

The company had sold 22,545 units in the same month last year, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd (SMIPL) said in a statement.

Commenting on the sales growth, SMIPL, Vice-President, Sales and Marketing Atul Gupta said: “We have received very good response from the market to all our products. The growing customer satisfaction among present owners of Suzuki products has led to a positive word-of-mouth in the market. We are committed to give the best to our customers.”

Toyota Kirloskar Motors also came out with its numbers today.Its sales increased over two-fold to 12,807 units in September, driven by robust demand for latest products ‘Etios’ and ‘Liva’.

The company had sold 6,235 units in the same month last year, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) said in a statement.

“We have registered a growth of 105 per cent in September sales. This growth can be attributed to the sales of Etios and Etios Liva clocking a total of 5,926 units,” TKM Deputy Managing Director (Marketing) Sandeep Singh said.

The flagship brand Innova along with Fortuner and Corolla have also contributed to this growth, he added.

“This is a positive sign for us at the onset of the festive season,” he said.

During the month, the company sold 2,951 units of Etios and 2,975 units.

Innova recorded sales of 4,765 units. Premium sedan Corolla Altis and Fortuner recorded sales of 994 units and 1,078 units respectively in September.

General Motors India, on the other hand, reported 17.35 percent jump in sales in September at 10,112 units as compared to the same month last year.

The company had recorded sales of 8,617 units in September 2010, General Motors India said in a statement.

During last month, the company sold 1,603 units of small car Spark, 5,261 units of hatchback Beat, 71 units of premium hatchback UVA, 121 units of entry level sedan Aveo, 325 units of mid-sized sedan Optra and 814 units of luxury sedan Cruze.

The company also sold 1,789 units of multi-purpose vehicle Tavera, and 128 units of sports utility vehicle Captiva during the month.

GM India Vice-President P Balendran said the growth was primarily driven by the company’s new Chevrolet Beat Diesel amid difficult market conditions.

“The market continues to be sluggish due to repeated hike in interest rates and rising fuel prices, which is creating tremendous pressure in the automobile market,” he said.

While Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) posted 17.2 percent decline in domestic vehicle sales due to labour unrest at its Manesar plant disrupting production, Tata Motors reported 10.22 percent increase in total passenger vehicles sales in the domestic market at 26,319 units in September, as against 23,877 units in the same month last year.

In the two-wheeler segment, Chennai-based TVS Motor Co reported 16 percent increase in domestic sales last month to 1,92,027 units, as against 1,65,418 units in the same month last year.

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) also reported 44 percent jump in its total sales to 1,78,462 units during the month as against 1,23,831 units in September last year.

Suzuki Motorcycle India posted 29 percent increase in sales in September this year to 29,094 units as against 22,545 units in the same month last year.

India Yamaha Motor said its September sales grew 28 percent at 43,462 units, as against 33,944 units in the same month last year.

PTI