Auto majors record mixed sales in Oct; Maruti slips

Slowdown not withstanding, automobile majors registered marginal rise in sales in the month of October with Maruti Suzuki being an exception.

In this slide show, we present a brief account of the sales of the auto companies.

Maruti sales down 53%

Maruti Suzuki India on Tuesday reported a 53.25 per cent fall in sales in October to 55,595 units because of labour unrest at its Manesar plant, which severely affected production.

The company had sold 1,18,908 units in the same month last year, Maruti Suzuki India said.

"The labour unrest at company's Manesar plant during October, 2011, adversely impacted the production and sales numbers.

"The company lost production of over 40,000 units (Gurgaon and Manesar) in the month," it added.

The Manesar facility rolls out MSI's high volume compact car Swift, which currently has undelivered booking orders for about one lakh units.

The plant also produces hatchback A-Star and sedan SX4.

The simultaneous strike at Suzuki Powertrain, which makes engines and transmissions, in support of MSI's Manesar plant's workers, affected production at the Gurgaon facility also.

The national capital-based company recorded sales of 51,458 units in the domestic market last month, a 52.16 per cent fall from 1,07,555 units in October, 2010.

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In a similar fashion, MSI's exports decreased by 63.56 per cent in October to 4,137 units from 11,353 units in the year-ago period, the company added.

Total passenger car sales in the domestic market dipped by 55.11 per cent to 41,192 units in October from 91,754 units in the same month of 2010, it added.

Sales of the company's mini-segment cars, including the M800, A-Star, Alto and WagonR model, fell by 54.86 per cent to 25,009 units from 55,404 units in October, 2010.

In the compact segment (comprising the Estilo, Swift and Ritz models), MSI witnessed a 56.09 per cent dip in sales to 10,859 units from 24,729 units in the same month a year ago.

Sales of MSI's DZiRE model decreased by 48.14 per cent to 5,001 units from 9,644 units in the corresponding period a year ago.

In addition, MSI's mid-sized sedan SX4's sales slipped by

83.81 per cent to 320 units from 1,977 units in the year-ago

month. Luxury sedan Kizashi witnessed sales of three units.

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GM India sales rise marginally

General Motors India on Tuesday reported a marginal increase in its sales in October at 10,062 units as compared to the same month last year.

The company had recorded sales of 10,051 units in the corresponding month last year, General Motors India said in a statement.

During last month, the company sold 1,797 units of small car Spark, 5,328 units of hatchback Beat, 182 units of entry level sedan Aveo, 236 units of mid-sized sedan Optra and 732 units of luxury sedan Cruze.

The company also sold 1,687 units of multi-purpose vehicle Tavera, and 100 units of sports utility vehicle Captiva during the month.

GM India vice-president P Balendran said the company has been able to grow sales despite the sluggish market on the back of its hatchback Beat diesel.

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M&M posts 20% rise in sales

Auto-maker Mahindra & Mahindra on Tuesday reported 20.32 per cent jump in its total sales at 41,506 units in October 2011.

The company had sold 34,495 units in the corresponding month of 2010, Mahindra & Mahindra said.

In the domestic market, the company registered a rise of 21.12 per cent at 39,352 units during the month compared to 32,491 units in the year-ago period, it added.

Total sales of passenger vehicles, including Scorpio, XUV500, Xylo, Bolero and Verito, stood at 18,756 units as against 16,987 units in October 2010, up 10.41 per cent.

The company said sales of three-wheelers during October went up by 17.04 per cent to 6,332 units from 5,410 units during the same month last year.

The company's Gio and Maxximo mini-trucks and other four-wheeler commercial vehicles sales increased by 41.22 per cent last month to 13,101 units from 9,277 units in the year-ago period, the statement said.

Light commercial vehicle sales from Mahindra Navistar Automotives Ltd during the month stood at 1,163 units as against 817 units in the same month a year ago, a rise of 42.35 per cent.

M&M's exports during the month jumped 7.49 per cent to 2,154 units from 2,004 units during October 2010.

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India Yamaha Motor sales up 27%

Two-wheeler maker India Yamaha Motor on Tuesday reported 26.82 per cent increase in its total sales in October 2011 at 47,240 units.

The company had sold 37,251 units in the same month last year, India Yamaha Motor said in a statement.

In the domestic market, the company's sales stood at 38,229 units as against 31,791 units in the same month last year, up 20.25 per cent.

Exports of India Yamaha rose by 65.04 per cent to 9,011 units during the month from 5,460 units in the year-ago period, it added.

"The festive season has played a vital role in catapulting sales for Yamaha this month. We are confident that the momentum will sustain in the long run and help us in redefining our sales graph," India Yamaha Motor director (sales and marketing) Jun Nakata said.