Passenger vehicle sales in August were mostly steady to higher as the month saw many new launches by automakers and also as fuel prices remained low. Besides, anticipation of an increase in demand ahead of the upcoming festive season also propped up manufacturer dispatches. While Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai both posted a year-on-year sales growth, Honda and Mahindra witnessed a slight decline. Tata Motors and Toyota registered a moderate growth in sales of passenger vehicles.

The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki posted an 8.6 percent year-on-year rise in domestic sales to 1,06,781 units in August. The figure was achieved owing to healthy sales of its entry-level segment cars such as the Alto and Wagon R, coupled with the recently launched Maruti S-Cross and the Ciaz. Sales of the Ciaz rose to 4,156 units last month from 2,099 units in July, while the Alto and Wagon R duo sold 37,665 units as against 34,686 units last year.

Moreover, sales of the premium sedan are likely to get a boost in the near term as Maruti recently launched the Ciaz SHVS diesel equipped with mild-hybrid technology. The model, that will replace the conventional Ciaz diesel, boasts of a fuel economy of 28.09kpl, up from an already impressive 26.21kpl of the outgoing model.

Hyundai recorded its highest-ever domestic sales of 40,505 units, up 20 percent from 33,750 units for the month of August, led by upbeat demand for the Hyundai Creta SUV as well as the i20 hatchback. In a bid to keep the hatch equipped at par with competition such as the Honda Jazz, the carmaker recently announced the launch of the i20 and i20 Active models with a 7.0-inch touchscreen AVN system. The i20 is already the best seller in the premium hatchback segment and this addition is likely to make car buyers take notice.

However, sales of Japanese carmaker Honda declined 6.7 percent or 1,130 units to 15,655 units from the same period last year. Honda maintained a strong third position ahead of Mahindra in August as well for the third consecutive month since the latter’s passenger vehicle sales continued to witness a decline. Mahindra registered a 7.3 percent drop in passenger car sales to 14,198 units last month. The carmaker is hopeful that the upcoming festive season as well as its forthcoming launches will boost sales performance. Pravin Shah, President and Chief Executive (Automotive), M&M Ltd. said, “While currently we are witnessing fragmented recovery in auto sales, we are hopeful that the upcoming festive season will provide a much needed fillip to the auto industry… the launch of new models is expected to further improve overall performance.”

Mahindra is now gearing up to launch its TUV300 compact SUV on September 10. Based on a new platform, the car will be powered by the updated mHawk engine and if well received, it will provide a much needed boost to the carmaker’s passenger vehicle sales.

Sales of Toyota Kirloskar Motor remained mostly flat at 12,547 units in August as against the 12,384 units from last year,  a 1.3 percent growth. Similarly, Tata Motors also saw its passenger car sales rise 2 percent to 11,194 units in August.