Year starts on a high for car makers

“We have seen strong bookings fueled by continued demand. Supply shortage of micro-processor semiconductors continues to be a serious challenge for the auto industry. Going forward we are working with our supplier partners to gear up our supply chain and meet the market demand.” Veejay Nakra, Chief Executive Officer, automotive division, M&M

- Ritwik Sinha

Car sales have shot up in January following the launch of new models by different car makers and rising need for personal commuting.

After slumps in sales during and post the pandemic, car sales have been rising, moving up to a double-digit growth in December.

Passenger vehicle sales have been moving northbound for six consecutive months.

January saw a total of 3,03,904 units sold, up 16 percent from 262,226 sold in the corresponding month of the last year.

On a month-month basis, sales in January were higher by 10 percent over 275,858 units sold in December.

Maruti Suzuki

Country’s largest passenger car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) has logged a sale of 160,752 units in January. This comprises of 142,604 unit sold in the domestic market and exports of 12,445 units.

On a year-on-year basis, the brand registered a 4.3 percent growth over January of 2020.

In the passenger vehicles category, the mini and compact segment consisting of the Alto, S-Presso, Wagon R, Celerio, Swift, Ignis, Baleno, and Dzire recorded sales of 102,088 units. Sale of utility vehicles and vans (Gypsy, Ertiga, S-Cross, XL6,VitaraBrezza, and Eeco) was 35,567 units, 45 percent higher over same period last year.

The mid-size sedan, Ciaz also posted 61 percent sales growth with 1,347 unit sales.

The total passenger sales by the company in India were 139,002 units.

Besides passenger vehicles, Maruti Suzuki sold 3,602 Super Carry commercial vehicle. The sales to OEMs also rose by a remarkable 153 percent from 2,249 units last year to 5,703 units in January.