Car makers cheer bumper sales in May

Sales of mini segment cars, including, Alto and WagonR climbed 20.6 per cent to 35,062 units in May compared with 29,068 units in the year-ago period, Maruti said in a statement.

Country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Monday reported a 13.8 per cent rise in total sales in May at 1,14,825 units against 1,00,925 units in the same period last year.

The company said its domestic sales rose 13 per cent during the month to 1,02,359 units as against 90,560 units in May 2014.

Sales of mini segment cars, including, Alto and WagonR, too climbed 20.6 per cent to 35,062 units compared with 29,068 units in the year-ago period, MSI said in a statement.

Sales of the compact segment comprising Swift, Estilo, Ritz, Dzire declined 5.7 per cent to 41,926 units in May this year against 44,455 units last year while those of compact sedan Dzire Tour rose over over three-fold to 3,190 units in the month under review against 892 units in May 2014.

The sales of mid-sized sedan Ciaz, which was launched in October last year, stood at 5,012,units.

The company had sold 121 units of SX4 sedan in May 2014. There was no sale of premium sedan Kizashi during the month.

Sales of utility vehicles, including Gypsy, Grand Vitara and Ertiga, rose 6 per cent to 5,567 units in May this year from 5,253 units last year.

The corresponding figure for vans, Omni and Eeco moved up 7.7 per cent to 11,602 units in May compared with 10,771 units last year.

Exports during the month rose 20.3 per cent to 12,466 units compared with 10,365 units in May 2014, MSI said.

Hyundai Motor India (HMIL) also reported a 1.5 per cent increase in total sales at 52,515 units in May.

The company had sold 51,718 units in the same month last year, HMIL said in a statement.

In the domestic market, Hyundai sold 37,450 units last month compared with 36,205 units in May 2014, up 3.4 per cent.

However, the company’s exports declined 2.9 per cent to 15,065 units as against 15,513 units in the same period last year.

HMIL senior vice-president (sales and marketing) Rakesh Srivastava said: "In a market experiencing low growth with decreasing contribution of rural and diesel vehicles sales, Hyundai volumes grew to 37,450 units with fourth consecutive month of more than 10,000 units of highly successful and acceptable Elite & Active, showcasing customers' changing preference towards brands delivering high aspirational value at attainable prices."

Honda Cars India also reported a marginal increase in its domestic sales at 13,431 units in May.

It had sold 13,362 units in May last year, Honda Cars India (HCIL) said in a statement. Last month, the company sold 873 units of small car Brio, 3,699 units of compact sedan Amaze, 1,249 units of Mobilio and 7,562 units of the mid-sized sedan City.

Besides, the company sold 48 units of sports utility vehicle CRV. In addition, the company exported a total of 655 units during the month.

Tata Motors too reported a 5.21 per cent increase in total sales at 39,496 units vehicles in May as compared to 37,538 units in the same period last year.

Domestic sales of Tata Motors' commercial and passenger vehicles remained flat 34,818 units in May, Tata Motors said in a statement. Sales of passenger vehicles in the domestic market in May stood at 11,138 units as against 9,230 units in the same month previous year, up 20.67 per cent.

The sales of the passenger cars in May 2015 were higher by 32.37 per cent at 9,176 units as compared to 6,932 units in May 2014. The UV sales declined by 15 per cent at 1,962 units in May 2015.

Commenting on the performance of the passenger vehicles segment, Tata Motors President (Passenger Vehicles Business Unit) Mayank Pareek told PTI: "Our sales have been mainly driven by Zest and Bolt in the passenger cars segment. Utility vehicles continue to be under stress."

He said the automotive market is still on a slow recovery path.

"First time buyers are still not coming out in full to spur sales. Interest rates have not still come down and many customers are still not engaging in taking up loans and are holding back in expectation of rates coming down," he added.

He said the industry could continue to face the slow growth in the first half of the fiscal and there may be some improvement in the second half depending on a variety of factors such as the growth of economy and monsoon.

In the commercial vehicles segment, domestic sales were at 23,680 units, a decline of 6 per cent over May 2014, the company said. Exports during the month stood at 4,678 units compared to 3,191 units in May 2014, up 47 per cent.