Year Ends On A High For Motown

Country’s autovilla has ended 2017 with a positive note as sales moved north during December 2017.

- Ritwik Sinha

Leading car makers like Maruti, Hyundai, Tata, Ford, Mahindra & Mahindra and Honda have posted growth during the month. However, Toyota reported degrowth in sales.

India’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) reported 10.3 percent increase in total sales at 130,066 units in December 2017 compared to 117,908 units in the same month of 2016. The company’s domestic sales stood at 119,286 units, up 12.1 percent from 106,414 units in December 2016, MSI said in a statement.

Sales of mini segment cars, including Alto and Wagon R, witnessed 2 percent rise to 32,146 units during the month under review from 31,527 units in December 2016.

The auto major said sales of the compact segment comprising Swift, Estilo, Dzire and Baleno jumped 23.2 percent to 53,336 units last month as against 43,295 units in the year-ago month. MSI said sales of mid-sized sedan Ciaz declined 35.8 percent to 2,382 units during the month.

Sales of utility vehicles, including Gypsy, Grand Vitara, Ertiga, S-Cross and compact SUV Vitara Brezza increased 19.9 percent to 19,276 units in December, from 16,072 units in the same month of 2016. Sales of vans – Omni and Eeco – increased 23.8 percent to 11,420 units last month as against 9,224 units in the year-ago period.

Exports in December were down 6.2 percent to 10,780 units as compared with 11,494 units in the same month last year, MSI said.

The second largest car maker Hyundai Motor India (HMIL) reported a rise of 10 percent in its total sales including exports for December.

According to HMIL, its total sales increased to 62,899 units from 57,164 units sold during December 2016. The company’s domestic sales during the month under review increased to 40,158 units from an offtake of 40,057 reported in the corresponding month of 2016.