NEW DELHI: Owing to rising fuel prices, erratic monsoon and weak buying sentiments, top carmakers in the country reported either a subdued growth or a fall in sales numbers in September.
Maruti Suzuki India sold 151,512 units of passenger vehicles (PV) in September against 150,521 units it sold in the corresponding month last year, clocking a growth of mere 0.7 per cent. Maruti’s overall sales, including exports, fell by 0.5 per cent to 162,290 units last month.
Similarly, top utility vehicle maker Mahindra& Mahindra (M&M) registered a 16 per cent drop in PV sales at 21,411 units last month. “September has been muted for PVs due to low consumer buying sentiment, high fuel prices and monsoon effect in many parts of the country,” said Rajan Wadhera, President, Automotive Sector, M&M.
Experiencing a similar trend, Hyundai India’s domestic sales declined 4.5 per cent to 47,781 units last month as compared to 50,028 units in September 2017. Honda too is feeling the heat of poor consumer sentiment. The company recorded monthly domestic sales of 14,820 units in September 2018, down 18.83 per cent. Another leading UV maker, Toyota Kirloskar, sold a total of 12,512 units in the domestic market in September against 12,335 units it sold a year ago. Ford India registered a decline of 6 per cent to 8,239 units in its domestic sales last month.
Homegrown Tata Motors was the only automaker who saw some healthy growth in September, with its domestic PV sales going up by 7 per cent at 18,429 units.