2012 has started on a positive note for the Indian automobile industry, with most of the car manufacturers attaining double-digit sales increase and two-wheelers leading growth charts.
Maruti Suzuki has heaved a sigh of relief after eight months, achieving sales increase for the first time since May 2011. Its sales went up by 5.2 per cent, riding high on export volumes, while the domestic sales went up by 0.6 per cent on Year-over-Year basis, touching 101,047 units in January 2012.
This is the first sales growth registered by India’s largest manufacturer after resuming production at its Manesar plant. It is in stark contrast to the 13.4 per cent sales decrease registered by it in December 2011 and 7 per cent in November 2011 at 92,161 units.
According to Surjit Singh Arora, an analyst with Prabhudas Liladher, “Maruti’s sales numbers have come as a surprise. The company is enhancing its production and also increasing its diesel engine capacity, which will help in reducing the waiting period on company’s popular models. Going ahead, we expect Maruti’s sales to be back on track.”
Likewise, the sales recorded by Tata Motors in the passenger vehicle segment shot up by 14 per cent on YoY basis in India, with the company rolling out a total of 36,770 car (34,669 Tata + 2,101 Fiat). The manufacturer was able to roll out 15 per cent more Nanos, while the sales of its Indica and Indigo range also went up.
Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), India’s second largest car maker, posted 11.85 per cent growth in India, selling a total of 33,900 in the country in January, whereas its exports went up by 23 per cent. Toyota posted an astounding 89 per cent increase in sales, owing to new launches it made in 2011. XUV 500 remained Mahindra’s biggest attraction, helping it record sales growth of 20 per cent.
On the other hand, sales figures of Volkswagen, Honda Siel and General Motors remained consistent, without growing substantially. According to Jnaneswar Sen, Senior Vice-President (Marketing and Sales) Honda Siel Cars India, the Japanese car maker’s production output was adversely affected by floods in Thailand. However, the company has already begun procuring vital parts from other locations and has started the production of the new City again. The car maker will start manufacturing the Brio and Jazz too in February and hopes to attain maximum production volume by March this year.
In the two-wheeler sector, Hero MotoCorp posted 11.5 per cent sales increase by rolling out 520,272 units, further consolidating its position as the biggest two-wheeler maker in the world. Yamaha successfully increased its sales volume by 20 per cent in the domestic market. However, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India showed the best figures, registering 47 per cent increase in overall sales. It sold a total of 1,89,353 vehicles in India, with approximately 60 per cent increase in the scooter division.
