Maruti continues to see strong sales growth in Dec

NEW DELHI: India’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd continued to witness strong sales growth in December even as its nearest rival Hyundai Motor India Ltd posted flat sales numbers for the month.

Sales at Maruti grew 12.1% in December to 1,19,286 units, driven by models such as the Dzire sedan, the Baleno hatchback and the Vitara Brezza sport utility vehicle (SUV), according to the monthly sales figures disclosed by the firm.

Hyundai, according to a statement, sold 40,158 units, up 0.03% over the year-ago period. In 2017, Hyundai sold 527,000 units in India, its highest ever.

“Hyundai is facing acute production constraints and the company does not have the room to manufacture more vehicles like Creta, which actually has high demand,” said Anil Sharma, principal analyst, automotive forecasting, IHS Markit.

Mumbai-based Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd (M&M) said sales of its passenger vehicles, such as Scorpio and Bolero models, declined 7% to 15,543 units during the month.

“Mahindra on the other hand has not been able to make a mark in the compact UV (utility vehicle) segment and unless the company introduces a new offering, volumes will be difficult to come by. Rural demand has also been flat which has impacted the sales of M&M,” Sharma added.

Rajan Wadhera, president (automotive sector), M&M, said his company is happy with its performance in 2017.

“We are happy to have ended December 2017 with a growth of 8%. Our commercial vehicles growth for December has been encouraging at 24%, and we are particularly buoyed by our ongoing strong performance in the medium and heavy commercial vehicles (MHCV) segment, which indicates a vibrancy in the economy. Global automotive trends such as electric vehicles and shared mobility will be key indicators for 2018,” Wadhera added.