Auto sales see modest rise in April

Leading automakers, including Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra and Hero MotorCorp, posted only modest growth in sales in April as high fuel cost and interest rates dampened an otherwise positive market sentiment.

Maruti Suzuki, riding on the success of models like Swift, Estillo and Dzire, posted a growth of 3.4 per cent over the same period in the previous fiscal.

Other leading car-mkares including Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Honda Siel Cars, also registered growth in April, primarily on the back of Etios and Brio models, respectively.

On the other hand, Tata Motors and General Motors reported decline in numbers.

The country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki reported a 3.4 per cent increase in sales to 100,415 units in April compared to 97,155 units sold in the same month last year.

However Maruti's passenger car sales in the domestic market declined by 1.3 per cent to 72,939 units and sales of mini-segment cars, including the M800, A-Star, Alto and WagonR, fell by 26.4 per cent to 30,720 units during the month.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor on the other hand posted 49 per cent increase in sales at 14,378 units and Mahindra & Mahindra's April sales increased 27 per cent to at 40,719 units, compared to last year.

Honda Siel Cars's sales for April surged over three-fold to 7,075 units.

General Motors' sales, however, declined 20.34 per cent at 8,005 units and Tata Motors' sales dipped seven per cent to 60,086 units.

Two-wheeler makers like Hero MotoCorp, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI), TVS Motor Company and Yamaha Motor reported robust sales in April.

Hero MotoCorp continued with brisk business as the company achieved its highest monthly sales of 551,557 units in April, registering a growth of 6.6 per cent.

HMSI posted growth of 45.53 per cent jump in its total sales for April at 198,831 units compared to 136,622 units in the same month of 2011.

On the hand, TVS Motor reported a four per cent increase in sales at 174,455 units compared to same month last year, Yamaha sales grew six per cent increase with 36,581 units in April.

Even VE Commercial Vehicles clocked 14.8 pc sales growth in April with total sales at 4,213 units in April, 2012.

Photograph: Reuters