Passenger vehicle sales upbeat in July

    Maruti, Hyundai and Mahindra post double-digit growth; Honda’s volumes continue to decline.

    Published On Aug 03, 2016 02:17:00 PM

    3,793 Views

    Passenger vehicle sales upbeat in July

    The onset of a good monsoon seems to have brought good tidings for the Indian automobile industry. Most of the automakers, which declared their July 2016 sales numbers, have reported handsome year-on-year growth.

    It is also amply clear that new models across various manufacturers are the sales drivers. Whether it is Maruti Suzuki with its Baleno and the Vitara Brezza, Hyundai with its Creta and i20 or Mahindra & Mahindra with its TUV300 and KUV100, buyers are lapping up value-for-money models as fast as OEMs are rolling them out.

    Here’s taking a look at how some passenger vehicle manufacturers have fared:

    Maruti Suzuki India

    Maruti Suzuki India, which had seen sales dip of 10 percent in June 2016, has sold a total of 1,25,778 units in July 2016, notching growth of 13.9 percent over sales a year ago (June 2015: 110,405). This is the company’s highest-ever sales in a single month in the domestic market.

    The company's previous highest domestic monthly sales were 121,063 units registered in October 2015. The July 2016 numbers also mean Maruti  has ramped up production and increased dispatches to dealers across the country to make up for the loss of over 50,000 units in June 2016 due to production stoppage at its Gurgaon and Manesar plants. 

    What is apparent from the company’s product-wise sales split is that the new models are now the driving force behind Maruti’s sales resurgence. The entry level duo of the Alto and WagonR sold a total of 35,051 units, down 7.2 percent YoY (July 2015: 37,752) while the quintet of the Swift, Ritz, Celerio, Baleno and the Dzire sold a total of 50,362 units, up 4.1 percent YoY (July 2015: 48,381).

    The Baleno, launched in October 2015, has consistently been in the monthly Top 10, clearly is the prime driver in this lot. The stylish hatchback currently has a waiting period of over six months.
    Expect it to have contributed over 10,000 units to Maruti's landmark sales in July 2016. 

    The Ciaz sedan, which is now seeing sales of over 5,000 units a month, sold a total of 5,162 units in July 2016, up 146 percent, albeit on a low base (July 2015: 2,099). With this, the Ciaz has sold a total of 1,05,434 units since its launch in October 2014. 

    Like the Baleno, the Vitara Brezza is another prime mover in the utility vehicle category  The UVs comprising the Gypsy, Ertiga, Grand Vitara, S-Cross and the Vitara Brezza sold a 17,382 units, up a handsome 151.3 percent Yoy (July 2015: 6,916). Maruti has also sold 14 units of the Super Carry, its first light commercial vehicle launched on July 27.

    It is understood that Maruti Suzuki is rejigging production schedules to meet the massive demand for the Baleno and the Vitara Brezza. It will also be readying stock for the festive season which is barely three months away. 

    Hyundai Motor India

    Hyundai Motor India, the country’s second-largest carmaker after Maruti Suzuki India, registered domestic sales of 41,201 units in July 2016, up 12.9 percent year-on-year (July 2015: 36,503). The carmaker has seen good traction in the domestic market for its Elite i20 hatchback and the Creta SUV. The Creta has been a game-changer for the company and has been driving overall numbers for the Korean carmaker.

    Mahindra & Mahindra

    Mahindra & Mahindra sold 17,356 vehicles in July 2016, up 20 percent (July 2015: 14,456) in the domestic market. This comprises 15,962 utility vehicles, which is an increase of 21 percent (July 2015: 13,204), and 1,394 cars and vans, up 11 percent year-on-year (July 2015: 1,252).

    Honda Cars India

    On the other hand, Honda Cars India's sales continued to head southwards as the Japanese carmaker sold 14,033 units in July 2016, 4,573 units less than July 2015 (18,606 units). The City was Honda's highest-selling model with 4,317 units dispatched to customers in India. The Jazz and the Amaze 3,517 units and 2,309 units respectively. However, the recently launched BR-V received a good initial response with 3,333 units sold. 

    Tata Motors

    Meanwhile, Tata Motors' passenger vehicles sales in the domestic market for July 2016 stood at 13,547 units, a year-on-year growth of 31 percent, compared to 10,335 units in July 2015. Sales of passenger cars in July 2016 were higher by 43 percent at 12,209 units as against 8,520 units in July 2015, due to strong demand for the recently launched Tiago. 

    Toyota Kirloskar Motor

    Toyota announced that it sold a total of 12,404 units in the domestic market last monthly, registering three percent year-on-year growth (July 2015: 12,070). The prime driver of the company’s sales is the recently launched Innova Crysta, which has bookings of over 20,000 units and a waiting period of up to two months at different locations across the country. TKM says the Camry too has seen a year-on-year sales growth in July, with more than 90 percent of its sales attributed to the Camry Hybrid. TKM is among the carmakers which have been adversely affected by the ban on over 2000cc diesel-engined vehicles in the Delhi-NCR region.

    “Although the new Innova Crysta has been doing well, the ban on registration of diesel vehicles has stalled the extent of our growth,” N Raja, director and senior vice-president (Sales & Marketing), Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said.

    Renault India

    Further, Renault India sold 11,968 units in July 2016 in the domestic market, up 609 percent albeit on a very low base (July 2015: 1,686). The carmaker says demand for the Kwid hatchback and the New Duster is on the up.

    Ford India

    Ford India's July domestic sales grew to 7,076 vehicles, up from 4,362 units. "Our domestic wholesale growth is proof that the actions we are taking to enhance the entire customer experience matter to our customers," said Anurag Mehrotra, executive director, Marketing, Sales & Service at Ford India. 

    Nissan Motor India

    Nissan Motor India reported domestic sales of 6,418 vehicles in July 2016 versus 2,841 units a year ago, up 126 percent. 

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