Maruti Suzuki India continued its steep downward slide in car sales, as monthly sales for November slumped 18.5 per cent over the previous year. A huge drop in sales of its mini cars and vans offset a rise in sales of its super-compact and mid-size cars. The company, owned 54.7 per cent by Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp, said it sold a total of 91,772 vehicles last month, down from 112,554 in the same period last year. Maruti continues to be billed as India's top-selling carmaker; but its market position has been looking increasingly vulnerable over the last six months, as its sales have been continuously sliding while other carmakers show small gains or minor losses of market share. The boom in car sales witnessed till a couple of years ago has flattened due to rising interest rates on loans, higher input prices, and several rounds of petrol price hikes. Maruti has been particularly hit by the labour troubles at its flagship plant at Manesar in Haryana, which reached flashpoints in June and October. Sales in October slumped by more than half - its worst monthly figures in a decade. Maruti's market share has shrunk in the past four years from 55 per cent to 38 per cent, as other global auto giants put out models in the small car segment, Maruti's mainstay over the years. New car launches by competition like the Honda Brio, Toyota Etios Liva and more recently the Hyundai Eon, which competes with Maruti's best selling car Alto, have put pressure on its sales. While Maruti's sales in the domestic market were down 19.2 per cent from a year ago at 82,870 units in November, exports slipped 11.4 per cent at 8,902 units. Maruti Suzuki said today that sales of its mini cars, which include the 800, Alto, A-Star and WagonR, plunged 27.2 per cent in November to 38,921 units. Sales of the Eeco and Omni vans were down 34.5 per cent at 9,612 units. Sales in the compact segment, which includes Swift, Ritz and Estilo, fell 3.7 per cent from a year ago to 22,159 units. Sales of utility vehicles were also down 9.5 per cent in November to a mere 180 units. However, sales of its Dzire 'super compact' car were up 6 per cent at 10,403 units, while mid-size car SX4 sales rose 9.8 per cent to 1,433 units during the month. GM sales rise slightly, General Motors India has sold 8,440 units in the month of November 2011 against 8,376 units sold during the corresponding period last year. The November 2011 sales were driven by Chevrolet Beat diesel, billed as India's most fuel-efficient car. Chevrolet Beat has been one of the top performers for GM India this month, registering record sales of 4,605 units. P Balendran, vice president, General Motors India, said, ''We have been able to sustain the growth primarily due to the encouraging response to Chevrolet Beat. Other car lines like Cruze and Tavera have also generated expected volumes. ''The market, however, continues to remain sluggish due to unprecedented hikes in interest rates, fuel prices, commodity prices, growing inflation and negative market sentiments. These factors are putting lot of pressure on the automobile market.'' Chevrolet celebrated its centennial as a global automotive brand in November. The company plans to launch several new products and services for the global audience, relevant to the respective markets and customer preferences. Toyota doubles sales: Toyota Kirloskar Motor today reported an over two-fold increase in sales to 13,956 units in November 2011, driven by robust demand for its latest 'Etios' and 'Liva' models. The company had sold 5,242 units in the corresponding month last year, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, the Indian arm of Japan's Toyota Motor Co, said in a statement. Toyota Kirloskar is, a joint venture between the world's largest car-maker Toyota and the Kirloskar Group. "We are very happy with the overwhelming response and confidence shown by our customers in the Etios and Etios Liva. The Etios series has sold a total of 8,271 units in November," dputy mnaging drector (mrketing) Sandeep Singh said. The company sold 3,943 units of the Etios and 4,328 units of the Liva last month. It also sold 4,308 units of multi-utility vehicle Innova. Sales figures from other manufacturers are expected over the next couple of days, as vehicle makers and their representative body Society of Indian Automobile Makers (SIAM) report their sales figures monthly, rather than quarterly as is the general practice in other sectors of industry. Source: Domain-B
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Maruti sales still in decline;GM ,Toyota post gains
Maruti Suzuki India continued its steep downward slide in car sales, as monthly sales for November slumped 18.5 per cent over the previous year. A huge drop in sales of its mini cars and vans offset a rise in sales of its super-compact and mid-size cars. The company, owned 54.7 per cent by Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp, said it sold a total of 91,772 vehicles last month, down from 112,554 in the same period last year. Maruti continues to be billed as India's top-selling carmaker; but its market position has been looking increasingly vulnerable over the last six months, as its sales have been continuously sliding while other carmakers show small gains or minor losses of market share. The boom in car sales witnessed till a couple of years ago has flattened due to rising interest rates on loans, higher input prices, and several rounds of petrol price hikes. Maruti has been particularly hit by the labour troubles at its flagship plant at Manesar in Haryana, which reached flashpoints in June and October. Sales in October slumped by more than half - its worst monthly figures in a decade. Maruti's market share has shrunk in the past four years from 55 per cent to 38 per cent, as other global auto giants put out models in the small car segment, Maruti's mainstay over the years. New car launches by competition like the Honda Brio, Toyota Etios Liva and more recently the Hyundai Eon, which competes with Maruti's best selling car Alto, have put pressure on its sales. While Maruti's sales in the domestic market were down 19.2 per cent from a year ago at 82,870 units in November, exports slipped 11.4 per cent at 8,902 units. Maruti Suzuki said today that sales of its mini cars, which include the 800, Alto, A-Star and WagonR, plunged 27.2 per cent in November to 38,921 units. Sales of the Eeco and Omni vans were down 34.5 per cent at 9,612 units. Sales in the compact segment, which includes Swift, Ritz and Estilo, fell 3.7 per cent from a year ago to 22,159 units. Sales of utility vehicles were also down 9.5 per cent in November to a mere 180 units. However, sales of its Dzire 'super compact' car were up 6 per cent at 10,403 units, while mid-size car SX4 sales rose 9.8 per cent to 1,433 units during the month. GM sales rise slightly, General Motors India has sold 8,440 units in the month of November 2011 against 8,376 units sold during the corresponding period last year. The November 2011 sales were driven by Chevrolet Beat diesel, billed as India's most fuel-efficient car. Chevrolet Beat has been one of the top performers for GM India this month, registering record sales of 4,605 units. P Balendran, vice president, General Motors India, said, ''We have been able to sustain the growth primarily due to the encouraging response to Chevrolet Beat. Other car lines like Cruze and Tavera have also generated expected volumes. ''The market, however, continues to remain sluggish due to unprecedented hikes in interest rates, fuel prices, commodity prices, growing inflation and negative market sentiments. These factors are putting lot of pressure on the automobile market.'' Chevrolet celebrated its centennial as a global automotive brand in November. The company plans to launch several new products and services for the global audience, relevant to the respective markets and customer preferences. Toyota doubles sales: Toyota Kirloskar Motor today reported an over two-fold increase in sales to 13,956 units in November 2011, driven by robust demand for its latest 'Etios' and 'Liva' models. The company had sold 5,242 units in the corresponding month last year, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, the Indian arm of Japan's Toyota Motor Co, said in a statement. Toyota Kirloskar is, a joint venture between the world's largest car-maker Toyota and the Kirloskar Group. "We are very happy with the overwhelming response and confidence shown by our customers in the Etios and Etios Liva. The Etios series has sold a total of 8,271 units in November," dputy mnaging drector (mrketing) Sandeep Singh said. The company sold 3,943 units of the Etios and 4,328 units of the Liva last month. It also sold 4,308 units of multi-utility vehicle Innova. Sales figures from other manufacturers are expected over the next couple of days, as vehicle makers and their representative body Society of Indian Automobile Makers (SIAM) report their sales figures monthly, rather than quarterly as is the general practice in other sectors of industry. Source: Domain-B