April 2013 has been a month that saw several differences in vehicle sales recorded by various Indian auto manufacturers. While companies such as Renault, Maruti Suzuki, General Motors and Mahindra saw increase in numbers as compared to the previous year, Ford and Tata Motors saw their sales dropping down.
Hyundai Motor India Limited has registered a growth of 4.03 per cent this April by managing total sales of 56,954 units, as against 54,696 vehicles in the same month last year. However, domestic market sales for the company fell by 7.60 per cent with figures of 32,403 units in April 2013, compared to 35,070 units sold in the corresponding month last year. Exports for the South Korean company managed to offset the losses due to domestic sales, as 24,551 units were exported in April 2013 in comparison to 19,536 units the year-ago period, which implies a rise of 25.67 per cent.
Speaking about the company’s April 2013 sales figures, Senior Vice President (VP) of Sales and Marketing, Rakesh Srivastava said, “The exports have shown good growth on account of strong demand from non-European markets, while the domestic market continues to witness pressure. There are signs of recovery with the increase in demand for petrol cars. In the present scenario of slowdown, Hyundai Motor India Limited is continuously gaining market share.”
Leading passenger vehicle manufacturer Maruti Suzuki witnessed a small 0.3 per cent increase in domestic sales during April this year (90,523 units), compared to the same period last year (90,255 units). While 19,446 units of the DZire were sold in April 2013, sales of mini segment vehicles (Alto, Maruti 800, WagonR and A-Star) stood at 34,927 units. This equates to a growth of 25.38 per cent and 13.69 per cent respectively, as compared to the figures achieved last year.
In comparison to the above mentioned figures, domestic auto manufacturer Tata Motors sold only 51,160 units in April this year in comparison to 60,086 units in April last year, registering a loss of 14.85 per cent in terms of total sales. However, Tata Motors exports rose, with 3,565 units this April as against 2,781 units (28.19 per cent growth) in the same period last year. Toyota sales in the domestic market also fell by 37 per cent in April. 9,007 units were sold by the Japanese auto maker in the month of April this year, compared to 14,378 units recorded in the year-ago period.
Sales for French car maker Renault registered the biggest growth. Number grew by ten folds, as the company sold 6,314 units in April 2013 as compared to just 615 in April 2012. This was buoyed by the sales of 5,362 units of the compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) Duster. Among the loss making companies, Ford India was one, which registered a decline of 24.03 per cent in total sales. The company sold just 7,270 units in April this year, as against 9,569 units in the same period last year. Its American counterpart, General Motors, managed a growth of 2.4 per cent, selling 8,196 vehicles in the above mentioned period this year, in comparison to 8,005 units in 2012.
From the above mentioned sales figures, it is clear that domestic sales for most passenger car makers have clearly fallen. However, the export figures have been able to sustain companies, such as Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai during this troublesome period. Therefore, the top auto makers are hoping that the situation is improved by the next fiscal.
