Motown: October 2012

Car sales in October climbed on new launches, Dussehra and well-stocked dealerships ahead of Diwali. Maruti, which suffered a nightmarish October 2011 after a shutdown at its Manesar plant due to labour strife, saw normal production this year. It posted an 87% increase in domestic sales at 96,002 units compared with 51,458 cars in the year-ago period. Exports jumped 72% to 7,106 units. Sales of Maruti Suzuki’s DZire model increased nearly three-fold to 14,389 units in October from 5,001 units in the same month last year. Bucking popular trend, sales of petrol-powered mini cars such as M800, A-Star, Alto and WagonR increased 69% to 42,233 units during the month from 25,009 units in October last year. The compact segment, comprising Estilo, Swift and Ritz, saw sales more than double to 22,459 units from 10,859 units in the same month a year ago. Hyundai roared back from last month’s negative territory, posting 8% rise in sales in October. The company sold 35,778 units powered by a strong demand for its Eon compact car and Elantra sedan. Exports too rose a robust 50% to 23,007 units (15,321 units last year) with aggregate sales increasing to 58,785 units from 48,322 in 2011.  An analyst tracking the industry said demand is likely to continue beyond the festive period and would propel sales beyond October. In October, Hyundai sold 50,146 units in the A2 segment (Eon, Santro, i10 and i20), while sales in the A3 segment (Accent and Verna) stood at 7,895 units.
M&M announced all-time high monthly figures in October with a 44% jump in sales of cars and UVs at 26,932 units. Its passenger vehicles, which include UVs such as Bolero and the Verito sedan, saw a strong demand in rural markets.
In stark contrast, American carmakers GM and Ford India continued to report a slump in sales. General Motor’s sales fell by a steep 33% to 6,754 units in October. Giving them company was Tata Motors, which reported a 16% dip in car sales to 21,119 units from 25,124 vehicles in October 2011. Though as the company launched new models to lure customers during the festive season, like the newly refurbished Safari Storme SUV, its performance in October remained subdued. Sales of the Indica hatchback range declined 38% to 6,692 units, while the Indigo sedan range also posted 8% lower sales at 5,748 vehicles. The only exceptions were micro car Nano and the utility vehicles range comprising Sumo, Safari & Aria (which saw a 12% rise at 4,675 vehicles). Exports of passenger vehicles declined 13% to 3,626 units in October compared to 4,171 vehicles in October 2011.
Japanese carmakers remained a strong force in the festive period. Toyota reported a 14% increase in sales at 12,281 units. The company had sold 10,762 units in the same month last year. The significant rise came from Innova, which sold 5,889 units — a growth of 73% over the 3,411 units sold in October last year. Sales of Fortuner SUV jumped 81% to 1,378 units while the Etios series posted a fall in sales at 4,596 units compared with 5,859 units in October 2011.