Even as sales of M800 model fell 30 per cent and exports declined, car market leader Maruti Udyog Ltd on Monday reported a 13.6 per cent rise in sales in the just-concluded fiscal at 5,36,301 units against 4,72,122 units in 2003-04.
The company, in which Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp holds a 54.2 per cent stake, made up for lost sales in the compact car, which grew 54 per cent to 2,71,280 units from 1,76,132 units.
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The company sells models like Alto, Wagon R and Zen in this segment.
MUL's overall domestic sales grew a healthy 15.8 per cent to 4,87,402 units against 4,20,947 units in 2003-04. However, exports declined 4.4 per cent to 48,899 units against 51,175 units in 2003-04.
M800, once the bread-and-butter model of the company, has seen a gradual decline in sales over the months as more and more customers are moving to the Alto model, after the company cut its prices. Sales of M800 fell 30.6 per cent to 1,16,262 units against 1,67,561 units sold in 2003-04.
In the multi-purpose vehicle segment, where the company sells Omni and Versa models, sales grew 9.2 per cent to 65,019 units in 2004-05 from 59,526 units in the previous fiscal.
Sales in the mid-size segment, where it has the Baleno and Esteem models, stood at 29,637 units, a whopping 109.1 per cent increase over 14,173 units sold in 2003-04. The company last year came out with a refurbished model of the Esteem, also cutting its cost.
Gypsy and Grand Vitara sales were at 5,204 units, a growth of 46 per cent over 3,555 units sold in 2003-04.
During March 2005, the company sold 54,613 units, including 3,920 units of exports. This is the highest-ever sale in a month by Maruti, the company said.
Last week, the country's second-biggest carmaker Hyundai Motor India reported an impressive 30 per cent sales rise in 2004-05 to 2,24,243 units. Exports for the company saw a growth of 95 per cent at 82,093 units.
