Despite all the hype and buzz created around festive season changing fortunes of auto makers, things have not turned out so well for the Indian car market in general. After enduring a prolonged period of dip in sales and growth, companies were betting high on an increase in sales due to the arrival of festive season. However, this has not been the case as figures revealed by various firms depict an entirely different story altogether. According to reports, automobile firms like Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai have posted flat sales growth for the month of October. Statistics revealed by different auto makers have been unable to lift spirits of the Indian industry in general. While the top two companies in the passenger car market registered flat sales growth, some of the other firms posted poor sales figures.
Maruti Suzuki, India's largest passenger car maker, revealed its figures for October 2013. Domestic sales for Indian subsidiary of Japan based Suzuki stood at 96062 units, which was a marginal increase from the corresponding period in 2012, recording 96002. Notably, the auto maker experienced a decline in the mini-car segment, which includes the likes of M800, Alto 800, WagonR and A-Star. According to statistics, sales for this segment declined by 6.8 per cent as compared to the same period in 2012. In addition, sales for compact segment, including Swift, Ritz and Estilo, fell down by 1.2 per cent to 22188 units.
On the other hand, Maruti Suzuki's main rival, Hyundai, also experienced marginal growth in sales in October 2013. Domestic sales for the South Korean auto maker stood at 36002 units as compared to 35778 cars in October 2012. On being asked about this sort of performance, Rakesh Srivastava, Senior Vice-President Sales and Marketing at Hyundai Motor India Limited, said that these are challenging market conditions, which have propelled a fall in sales. The festive season has been a poor one for Indian auto makers in particular as some of them have registered. Indian companies Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors experienced a fall in sales, depicting the kind of slowdown in market. Total passenger car sales for Tata Motors fell down by 33 per cent in October 2013, reports have claimed. Meanwhile, Mahindra & Mahindra sold 47787 units in October 2013, resulting in 6.87 per cent fall in sales.
While Indian companies have had a poor festive season, global firms have managed to do really well. Among firms that have performed relatively well include Toyota, General Motors, Ford and Honda. Experts believe that this is the result of new launches that have taken place. Honda, according to sources, had been expecting good sales in October as its dealerships were working overtime. Now, statistics that have been revealed confirm this fact as the Japanese car maker posted an incredible growth of 38.7 per cent as compared to October 2012. Sources claim that this showing is the result of success of Honda Amaze, the compact sedan that has taken the market by storm. Commenting on its success, Jnaneswar Sen, Senior Vice-President (Marketing and Sales) at Honda Cars India Limited, said, "HCIL is starting 3rd shift for production in our Greater Noida plant from this month to reduce waiting period and aid in quick delivery of cars."
On the other hand, American car maker Ford, due to the excellent performance of EcoSport compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), posted a growth of 21 per cent in units sold, according to sources. Vinay Piparsania, Executive Director for Marketing Sales and Service at Ford India, was happy about the firm's performance despite tough conditions. "Led by the Ford EcoSport, our product portfolio has helped our sales momentum continue to grow amidst a challenging economic environment," he was quoted as saying.
