Exports boost car sales in June

Maruti Suzuki posted a growth of 22.6 per cent in sales during June at 75,109 units out of which 18 per cent came from the exports. The company had reported total sales of 61,247 units during the same month last year, when exports contributed to below 8 per cent. The auto maker''s new car- A-star, witnessed an impressive demand in the export markets of Germany, UK, Netherlands, Spain and France. The company exported 13,336 units last month while 4,836 units were exported in the same month a year ago. Similarly, Hyundai Motor India (HMIL), the Korean car brand, posted a growth of 17.63 per cent in total sales to 47,267 units during June. The company''s exports surged 32.5 per cent to 24,251 units as compared to 18,301 units during the two comparable months. The growth in exports for both companies is on account of government-driven incentive programme that helps the car owners avail financial gains. Maruti''s India sales of 61,773 units sales grew by 9.5 per cent, mainly due to healthy demand for the newly launched compact models like Ritz and A-star, besides the regular models like Swift and Swift DZire. It had sold 56,411 units during June last year. While, Hyundai''s domestic sales grew by 5 per cent to 23,016 units during the reporting month as compared to 21,881 units. The company is hoping that the upcoming budget will provide some incentive to the export segment. The sales of Mahindra & Mahindra shot up by 56 per cent during June to 17,653 units as compared to 11,311 units. This growth was primarily on account of resumption of production of the Xylo, a multi-utility vehicle, which is witnessing a strong demand. However, sales of Logan, slumped to just 501 units as compared with 1,351 units. Meanwhile, sales of Tata Motors remained flat. The car maker sold 17,039 units during June as against 17,017 units sold in the same month last year. However, the Indica range outperformed with a growth of 19 per cent at 10,210 units, while that of Indigo and Sumo/Safari dipped by 26 per cent and 11 per cent respectively. Honda Siel Cars reported a growth of 6.5 per cent at 5,039 units in June as compared to 4,732 units reported in the same month last year. The company''s newly launched super premium car- Jazz sold 2,032 units since its launch of June 10.