Wedding season, rural traction, SUVs drive domestic PV sales of top automakers in Nov

New Delhi: Leading automakers Maruti Suzuki India, Tata Motors and Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Sunday reported growth in their domestic passenger vehicle sales riding on ongoing wedding season demand, continued rural traction and strong offtake of SUVs.

On the other hand, newly-listed Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) registered a 2 per cent year-on-year decline in domestic sales to 48,246 units last month as against 49,451 units in the year-ago period.

Market leader Maruti Suzuki India posted domestic passenger vehicle (PV) wholesales of 1,41,312 units in November as compared with 1,34,158 units in the year-ago month, a growth of 5 per cent.

"Our November sales were driven by a variety of factors, including the ongoing wedding season demand, continued traction in the rural market, introduction of limited editions and the ongoing robust uptake for SUVs," Maruti Suzuki India Senior Executive Officer, Marketing and Sales, Partho Banerjee told PTI.

The company's rural penetration increased to 48.7 per cent in November this year, which is 2.2 per cent higher than the same month last year, he added.

On the urban market, Banerjee said, "We are not seeing that sort of traction that we saw in October. Generally what happens is that the urban customers wait for December and hold back a little in November expecting better offers (in the year-end).

In November, he said, "We could maximise contribution of SUVs (in our portfolio) which has now gone up to 29 per cent." MSIL's utility vehicles, consisting of Brezza, Ertiga, Grand Vitara and XL6, clocked sales of 59,003 units last month as compared to 49,016 units earlier. However, sales of mini-segment cars, comprising Alto and S-Presso, were down at 9,750 units as against 9,959 units in November 2023. Sales of compact cars, including Baleno, Celerio, Dzire, Ignis, Swift, Tour S and WagonR, declined to 61,373 units as compared to 64,679 units in the year-ago month.

Another major player, Tata Motors said its domestic PV sales, including EVs were up 2 per cent at 47,063 units as against 46,068 units in November 2023.

Similarly, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) said its total sales rose 44 per cent year-on-year to 25,586 units in November as compared to 17,818 units in the same month last year.

"Our diverse portfolio, spanning from hatchbacks to SUVs, continues to offer tailored mobility solutions that resonate with varying lifestyles," TKM Vice President, Sales-Service-Used Car Business Sabari Manohar said in a statement.

On the other hand, Hyundai Motor India Ltd said its domestic sales declined 2 per cent year on year to 48,246 units in November as against 49,451 units in the year-ago period. Exports declined 20 per cent year on year to 13,006 units last month.

The company said it achieved its highest-ever monthly rural contribution of 22.1 per cent in November 2024, augmenting its reach in the hinterland of India.

The company's push towards fortifying SUV supremacy continued in November with SUVs contributing 68.8 per cent of total domestic sales, Hyundai Motor India Whole-time Director and Chief Operating Officer Tarun Garg said.

JSW MG Motor India reported a 20 per cent rise in wholesales at 6,019 units in November 2024 as compared to the same month last year.

The company's electric crossover utility vehicle Windsor continues with its strong performance for the second month in a row with 3,144 wholesale units, JSW MG Motor India said in a statement.

New energy vehicles (NEVs) account for a substantial 70 per cent of the total monthly sales, it added.

"This underscores the position of NEVs as a significant contributor to the company's overall revenue," the company said.