Passenger car sales in India rose significantly in November 2009, on the back of a low-base effect and festival discounts. Car sales had plummeted by 19.3 per cent in November 2008, compared to sales in the same month in 2007.
Maruti Suzuki posted a 61.6 per cent growth in domestic sales, up from 47,103 units in November 2008, to 76,106 units in November 2009. A part of these sales, however, came from bookings made in October. The company’s Chief General Manager (Marketing), Shashank Srivastava, said that the number of dispatches to car dealers in November was higher than the actual sales at the retail level. Maruti’s total sales, including exports, grew by 66.6 per cent.
Tata Motors’ sales in the domestic market went up from 14,327 units to 20,706 units in the same period. Its partner company Fiat sold 1,965 units in November 2009, as against 285 units in November 2008. The two companies together grew by 55.2 per cent. Hyundai India’s domestic sales too rose from 14,605 units in November 2008 to 28,162 units in November 2009 – an increase of 92.8 per cent. The company’s cumulative sales went up by 28.5 per cent. Skoda India posted a record 183 per cent increase in sales. It sold 1,425 units in November 2009, as against 504 units in November 2008. Honda Siel’s sales grew by 2 per cent in the same period.
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