Carmakers post sales growth in November

The buzz is gradually getting back into the passenger vehicle (PV) market and the improved sales numbers in November 2017 are proof of that. However, the growth figures are also reflective of a lower base as the scrapping of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes by Government of India during the same month time last year pulled down volumes.

Demonetisation led to a massive cash crunch across the nation due to which consumer priority shift to purchase of essential commodities, therefore subduing the demand for automobiles. 

India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, reported sales of 1,44,297 units in November, an uptick of 14.3 percent and it looks well set to notch its best-ever sales for a fiscal year. In fiscal 2017 (April-March), the company sold a total of 11,01,900 units. And with four months of FY2018 still to go, the company has already sold a total of 11,87,735 units, recording a growth of 14.6 percent. As is known, the company is gunning for two million sales annually by the year 2020. And it has 2.5 million sales in its crosshairs by FY2023.

First runner-up in terms of sales, Hyundai, sold 44,008 units in November, compared to 40,016 units in the same period last year, marking a 10 percent year-on-year growth. Its top performers across segments include the Grand i10, Elite i20 and the Creta SUV. Also, the third-generation Hyundai Verna sedan, launched in August, is garnering good numbers for the company, having sold a cumulative 15,534 units in just over two months until October 2017.

Tata Motors is on a roll and has outperformed Mahindra in terms of volumes. The company’s passenger vehicle division sold 17,157 units compared to 12,736 units in November last year, recording a smart year-on-year growth of 35 percent, essentially led by the strong growth momentum of new-generation Tata cars like the Tiago, Hexa, Tigor and the Nexon. To meet the growing demand for the Nexon compact SUV, Tata Motors has ramped up its production and earlier this week rolled out the 10,000th Nexon from its Ranjangaon facility. 

Mahindra & Mahindra also seems to be back on track in the month of November. The company’s PV segment (which includes UVs, cars and vans) sold 16,030 vehicles in November 2017, as against 13,198 vehicles during November 2016, recording a growth of 21 percent.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) sold a total of 12,734 units in the domestic market in November 2017, a year-on-year increase of 13 percent. In November last year, it sold 11,309 units.

Honda Cars India is also on a high, having registered monthly domestic sales of 11,819 units in November 2017 compared to 11,819 units in the same period last year; it has witnessed a handsome 47 percent year-on-year growth. The WR-V was the best-seller for Honda with 3,521 units, followed by the popular City (3,315), Jazz (2,039), Amaze (1,976), BR-V (793), Brio (154) and CR-V (21).

Ford India displayed an enthusiastic performance with great boost coming in from its newly introduced EcoSport facelift compact SUV launched on November 9.  The company registered total domestic sales of 7,777 units against 6,876 units in the same period last year, posting growth of 13.10 percent.