Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest carmaker, has reported total sales of 130,676 units in the domestic market. This marks 15.1 percent year-on-year growth (May 2016: 113,162).
The entry level, bread-and-butter duo of the Alto and Wagon R sold 39,089 units, up 18.1 percent (May 2016: 33,105). The company’s six compact cars comprising the Swift, Ritz, Celerio, Ignis, Baleno and Dzire sold 51,234 units, up 10.1 percent (May 2016: 46,554). However, this is considerably lesser than the robust 39 percent growth of 63,584 units in April 2017.
The Ciaz premium sedan, which is now sold only from the premium Nexa channel, went home to 4,724 buyers, down 8.9 percent (May 2016: 5,188). The two vans – Omni and Eeco – sold 12,593 units, up 3.5 percent (May 2016: 12,164).
The surging consumer demand for the Vitara Brezza refuses to slow down, as a result of which Maruti Suzuki posted a 66.3 percent YoY increase in sales of its UVs (Gypsy, Ertiga, S-Cross, Vitara Brezza) to 22,608 units (May 2016: 13,596). And, Maruti’s Super Carry, its entry model into the LCV segment, sold a total of 428 units in May 2017.
Exports dip sharply
While domestic sales are on the upswing, the carmaker’s export story is seeing a decline. Maruti Suzuki shipped a total of 6,286 vehicles in May 2017, compared to 9,872 units in May 2016.