Car sales in India, in March 2010
Audi - Audi India reported a jump of 36% in its sales for March this year, at 220 units, as against 162 units in March 2009. During January-March 2010, Audi sold 778 units in India, as compared to 384 units in the year-ago period. Audi is now looking at opening new dealerships across the country, in cities like Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Chennai, Ludhiana, Lucknow, Coimbatore and Nagpur.
Maruti Suzuki - During March 2010, Maruti Suzuki sold a total of 95,123 units (79,530 units in the domestic market and 15,593 units overseas), an 11% increase over the 85,669 units sold in March 2009. Maruti sold 1,018,365 units in FY 2009-10 and this was the first time when an Indian car company sold over a million units in a financial year. The figure includes 870,790 units sold in the domestic market, and 147,575 units in exports. The A-Star (sold as the Suzuki Alto in markets other than India) continues to be Maruti's bestseller in overseas markets. By 2012, Maruti Suzuki plans to expand its production capacity to 1,250,000 units per annum. For this, the company has announced an investment of Rs 1,700 crore at its Manesar plant.
Ford - Ford India registered a 203% hike in sales during March 2010, at 9,478 units. The company has also netted 10,000 bookings for its all-new hatchback, Figo, which was launched two months ago. 'We are delighted at the initial response to Figo, and are incredibly proud to have struck such a positive chord with Indian consumers. The launch of Figo is the start of a transformed Ford in India,' said Michael Boneham, President and MD, Ford India.
Tata Motors - Tata Motors sold 27,761 units in the domestic market in March 2010, as compared to 23,649 units in March 2009. During March this year, Tata Motors sold 4,710 units of the Nano, 11,618 units of the Indica range, 7,537 units of the Indigo range, and 3,896 units of the Sumo and Safari range. The company sold a total of 234,930 passenger vehicles during FY 2009-10, as compared to 200,127 units in the previous financial year.
Mahindra - Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. reported an increase of 16% in its domestic sales for March 2010, at 29,944 units as compared to 25,748 units in the year-ago period. During March this year, M&M sold 20,914 units of its utility vehicles (Scorpio, Xylo, Bolero and Pick-Ups), 351 units of the Renault Logan, and 7,695 units of three-wheelers and mini-trucks, including the new Gio and Maxximo. M&M's total sales in the domestic market, during FY 2009-10, stood at 286,713 units - an increase of 30% over the earlier fiscal. Exports during FY 2009-10, at 10,567 units, registered a 24% increase.
Hyundai - Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL) sold 31,501 units during March 2010 in the domestic market, a 27% hike over sales in March 2009. HMIL's total sales (including exports) for March 2010 stood at 55,035 units, as against 46,159 units in March 2009, an increase of 19%. HMIL sold 162,273 units during January -March 2010, an increase of 33.5% over the corresponding period in 2009. 'As we close the financial year, it is reassuring to see the market retain its buoyancy which was triggered by the Government's timely announcement of the stimulus package and the consequent reduction in interest rates for car finance,' said Arvind Saxena, Director - Marketing and Sales, HMIL. During March this year, Hyundai sold 50,175 units in the A2 segment (Santro, i10, Getz and i20), 4,276 units in the A3 segment (Accent and Verna) and 44 units in the A5 segment (Sonata Transform).