Maruti, Hyundai, M&M domestic sales rise in May

NEW DELHI, June 2: Automobile majors Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Mahindra & Mahindra on Wednesday reported double-digit growth in their passenger vehicles sales in May riding on new models and better consumer sentiment in expectation of a good monsoon. Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India said its domestic sales rose 10.6 per cent in May to 1.13 lakh units from 1.02 lakh units in the same month a year ago. The company’s sales were driven mainly by the compact segment comprising Swift, Estilo, Ritz, Dzire and Baleno which grew 11 per cent to 46,554 units from 41,926 units. Sales of utility vehicles including Gypsy, Grand Vitara, Ertiga, S-Cross and recently unveiled compact SUV Vitara Brezza jumped over two-fold to 13,596 units from 5,567 units, the company said. Mini segment cars, including Alto and WagonR, however, declined by 5.6 per cent to 33,105 units from 35,062 units. Sales of mid-sized sedan Ciaz increased by 3.5 per cent to 5,188 units in May. Rival Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL) sold 41,351 units as compared with 37,450 units, up 10.41 per cent. Commenting on the sales performance, HMIL Senior Vice-President (Sales and Marketing) Rakesh Srivastava said: “In market seeing challenges of stressed rural demand and uncertainty on diesel vehicles, Hyundai volumes grew by 10.4 per cent with sales of 41,351 units.” Utility vehicles major Mahindra & Mahindra reported 10 per cent increase in its domestic sales at 36,613 units last month compared with 33,369 units in May 2015. Sales of passenger vehicles, including Scorpio, XUV500, Xylo, Bolero and Verito, also increased by 8 per cent at 19,635 units from 18,135 units in the same month last year. M&M Chief Executive (Auto Division) Pravin Shah said: “The favourable monsoon season will definitely lead to improved buyer sentiment that would likely bring a buoyancy in overall demand across all segments of the automotive industry. Going forward, we expect that our wider portfolio will drive growth.”