India's auto sector paints a bleak picture

Maruti total sales down 12.6%

The country's largest car-maker Maruti Suzuki India today reported 12.6 per cent decline in total sales in June this year at 84,455 units.

The company had posted total sales of 96,597 units in the corresponding month last year.

For June 2013, the city-based firm reported 7.8 per cent decline in domestic sales at 77,002 units, over 83,531 units in June, 2012, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said in a statement.

MSI's exports last month went down by 43 per cent to 7,453 units from 13,066 units in the year-ago period, it said.

Sales of the company's mini segment cars, including the M800, A-Star, Alto and WagonR, declined by 8.4 per cent to 31,314 units from 34,198 units in June, 2012.

In the compact segment (comprising the Estilo, Swift and Ritz models), MSI witnessed 7.2 per cent fall in sales at 20,996 units as against 22,624 units in the same month a year ago.

Sales of MSI's DZiRE model fell by 8.7 per cent to 12,548 units from 13,741 units in the corresponding period a year ago.

The company's mid-sized sedan SX4's sales declined by 23 per cent to 314 units from 408 units in the year-ago month, MSI said.

Luxury sedan Kizashi witnessed no buyer last month compared to sales of 6 units in June 2012, it added.

Sales of utility vehicles went down by 11.4 per cent to 4,997 units from 5,638 units in the year-ago month. Sales of vans dipped by 1.2 per cent to 6,833 units from 6,916 units in the same month last year.

MSI's total passenger car sales declined by 8.2 per cent to 65,172 units in June from 70,977 units in the same month in 2012, it added.

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Hyundai domestic sales up by 1%

Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), the country’s second largest car manufacturer and the largest passenger car exporter, registered   approximately one per cent growth in domestic sales for the month of June 2013.

The domestic sales accounted for 30,610 units and exports stood at 24,057 units.

Commenting on the sales, Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice president (sales and marketing0, HMIL said, “In these challenging times of industry degrowth, Hyundai has grown in volumes and market share on the strength of a strong product portfolio and customer focus of its channel partners.”

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Mahindra’s auto sector sells 38,092 units

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd India’s leading SUV manufacturer, on Monday announced its auto sales numbers for June 2013 which stood at 38,092 units as against 41,322 units during June 2012.
 
The passenger cehicles segment (which includes the UVs and Verito) sold 17,232 units in June 2013, as against 19,792 units during June 2012.
The company’s domestic sales stood at 36,207 units during June 2013, as against 38,951 units during June 2012.
                                     
The 4-wheeler commercial segment which includes the passenger and load vehicles registered a 5 per cent growth, having sold 13,761 units, while the 3-wheeler segment clocked 4,303 units in June 2013. Exports for the month of June 2013 stood at 1,885 units.

Speaking on the monthly performance, Pravin Shah, chief executive, automotive division, Mahindra & Mahindra said, “We have witnessed a de-growth in the month of June 2013 amidst an overall decline in the auto industry.

The depreciating rupee resulting in spiraling fuel costs coupled with high interest rates and the additional excise duty on SUVs has further dampened the industry without any substantial revenue to government.

Going forward, we do hope that some immediate short term measures are announced and implemented by the Government to bring back buoyancy in demand which is the need of the hour."

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Mercedes-Benz announces its best ever quarter

• 1,749 units sold by Mercedes-Benz India in Q2 2013 (April-June 2012: 1327 units)
• April-June 2013 sales demonstrates 32% year-on-year growth; this is the highest growth quarter for Mercedes-Benz India in the last 8 quarters
• Success of the new A-Class, M-Class and GL-Class have contributed to this growth; E-Class and C-Class have clocked robust performance

Commenting on this impressive sales performance, Eberhard Kern, managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India said, “2013 is the Year of Offensive for MB in India.

Our fully refreshed product line-up, with new segment introductions has received an overwhelming response from the customers.

This has helped us achieve record results in Q2 2013.

The B-Class CDI set for launch on 11-July 2013 is the next awaited launch from us and we have other fascinating product plans to follow the year through. Despite an overall challenging market conditions; the strength of brand Mercedes-Benz and the excitement of new product launches amongst customers, have enabled us to achieve successful results.”

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Toyota Kirloskar domestic sales down 19%

Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Monday reported 19.45 per cent decline in its domestic car sales at 13,805 units in June, 2013.

The company had sold 17,140 units in the corresponding month of last year, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) said in a statement.

During the month, the company exported 2,795 units of Etios series.

Commenting on sales, TKM Deputy Managing Director and COO (Marketing and Commercial) Sandeep Singh said that the overall weak economic conditions continue to keep the market sentiments low and the market sluggish.

"We have seen an increase in sales when compared to last month. We have been able to keep the inventory levels low, both at TKM and dealer's end. We hope to see the market improve after the monsoon and during the festive season."

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Tata Motors sales down 18%

Tata Motors reported 18.08 per cent decline in total vehicle sales at 52,708 units in June 2013.

The company had sold 64,341 units in the same month last year, Tata Motors said in a statement.

Total passenger vehicle sales in the domestic market stood at 11,804 units in June, down 31.54 per cent from 17,244 units in the same month last year.

In the commercial vehicles segment, the company's sales dropped by 10.03 per cent to 36,908 units in the domestic market during the month under review compared to 41,026 units in the corresponding period last year.

The company's exports dropped by 34.17 per cent to 3,996 units last month from 6,071 units in the same month last year, it added.

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Ford India sales up 20%

Car maker Ford India reported 20.46 per cent increase in total sales in June this year at 8,771 units.

The company had sold a total of 7,281 units in the same month last year, Ford India said in a statement.

Domestic sales also went up by 14 per cent to 7,145 units in June this year as against 6,267 units in the same month last year, it added.

The company exported 1,626 units last month compared to 1,024 units in the year-ago period, registering a growth of 58.78 per cent.

Commenting on the sales performance, Ford India executive director, (marketing, sales and service) Vinay Piparsania said: "The surge in Ford India's domestic wholesales and exports is a strong indicator of customers' acceptance of our quality products with smart features that they truly want and value.”

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Honda Cars domestic sales up three-fold

Honda Cars India Ltd reported over three-fold increase in its domestic sales for June 2013 at 9,297 units.

The company had sold 2,667 units in the same month last year, HCIL said in a statement.

During June, the company sold 1,830 units of its sedan City and 2,375 units of its small car Brio. It also sold 27 units of premium sedan Accord.

Besides, HCIL sold 4,965 units of its latest sedan Amaze during last month.

The company sold 100 units of its sports utility vehicle CR-V in June 2013.

In addition to these sales, the company also exported a total of 761 units during June 2013.

Commenting on the numbers, HCIL senior vice president (marketing and sales) Jnaneswar Sen said: "We are extremely delighted with the consumer response to Amaze which has surpassed all expectations and is further gaining momentum. We already have more than 18,000 happy Amaze customers and we hope to add many more going forward."