September 2011 has seen some drastic changes in sales figures of the country's leading automobile manufacturers. India's leading car manufacturers, excluding largest car maker Maruti Suzuki, have reported an increase in their vehicle sales in September. Automobile giants including Hyundai and Tata Motors have experienced domestic sales hike of 13.2% and 10.22% respectively. On the other hand, Maruti Suzuki, country's premier automobile company, has reported a downfall of 17.2% in domestic sales of September 2011.
The Maruti Suzuki's low sales figures are attributed to the labour issues that have been going on since August end. The company confirmed with an official statement that said, 'The disruption in production owing to the labour issue at the company’s Manesar plant during September adversely impacted the sales numbers during the month. The Swift, SX4 and A-star are manufactured at the Manesar plant'.
The workers issue at the company's Manesar plant led to a hold on the production of Maruti models like A-Star, Swift and SX4. The September sales figures submitted by the company show that Maruti Suzuki's sedan class model SX4 sales dropped by 90% in September this year, as compared with the sales figures of September last year. The company sold only 196 SX4 vehicles in September this year, which is a major step down from 1,965 vehicles sold in September 2010.
On the bright side, recent events suggest that Maruti Suzuki officials have done their best to resolve internal issues and focus on what is necessary. Recent reports reveal that the month long labour strike in Maruti Suzuki's Manesar plant is dissolved and workers would rejoin from 4th October. The company will be striving to cope up with the inflated consumer demand for vehicles this festive season.
The dark horses in the Indian automobile race, Hyundai and Tata Motors are blooming with positive sales figures in September. Hyundai Motor India Limited has reported a sales increase of 13.2% in the month of September. The sales of Hyundai vehicles have increased from 31,756 units in September last year to 35,955 units this year. Commenting about their sales performance, Hyundai India Director, Arvind Saxena stated, 'We will launch our much awaited compact car EON this month. In spite of a sluggish market we expect EON to boost our sales and increase market share'.
Another leading automobile manufacturer, Tata Motors, has also reported a comparative increase in the September 2011 sales figures. Tata Motors have experienced an increase of 10.22% in its passenger car sales last month. The domestic sales of Tata motors have reached 26,319 units this year, from 23,877 units in September 2010. However, September sales figures for Tata Nano have decreased by 47, with a sale of only 2,936 units. On the bright side, Tata Indica sales numbers increased to 10,282 units in September, recording a hike of 64% as compared to the same month last year.
The current scenario suggests that Maruti Suzuki’s market standing has continuously deteriorated and resulted in negative sales. Moreover, with other trustworthy brand names in India, experts suggest that Maruti may be loosing its grip in the coming time. However, this may change with the onset of October's festive season, when automobile demand is expected to be the highest.
