JOIN USCar makers Maruti Suzuki, Honda and Ford posted an increase in domestic sales in September, while others including Mahindra, Tata Motors and Hyundai, reported decline in a market which has started picking up, albeit slowly, with the onset of the festive season.
Two-wheeler makers Hero MotoCorp and Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India reported healthy growth in September riding on good monsoon.
Country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) posted a 1.8 per cent increase in sales during the month to 90,399 units as against 88,801 units in September last year.
MSI said sales of its popular compact sedan Dzire rose by 42.9 per cent during the month under review at 16,708 units as against 11,694 units in September, 2012.
Honda Cars continued its sales growth on the back of its entry level sedan Amaze, posting an overall 88 per cent jump in its domestic sales at 10,354 units for September 2013. The company had sold 5,508 units in the September 2012.
"We are happy to see the huge demand for the Honda Amaze and Brio. The sales figures have set a positive tone for the upcoming festive season," HCIL Senior Vice President (Marketing & Sales) Jnaneswar Sen said.
Ford India posted 36.51 per cent increase in its domestic sales to 10,640 units in September this year as against 7,794 units in the same month last year on the back of newly launched compact sports utility vehicle EcoSport.
"Despite prevailing difficult economic conditions, we are excited to see our products finding greater acceptance among customers that is mirrored in our sales," Ford India Executive Director (Marketing, Sales and Service) Vinay Piparsania said.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor said its sales in India were at 12,015 units in September 2013, marginally down from 12,115 units in the corresponding month last year.
"The market continues to be sluggish. We hope that the market will improve with the upcoming festive season," TKM Deputy Managing Director and COO (Marketing and Commercial) Sandeep Singh said.
Hyundai's domestic sales stood at 30,601 units during the month, marginally down from 30,851 units in September 2012.
"In the current market scenario, volume growth is a big challenge...We expect the market challenges to continue and have a cautious optimism for upcoming festive season," HMIL Senior Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, Rakesh Srivastava, said.
Meanwhile, homegrown auto major Tata Motors' passenger vehicle sales in the domestic market stood at 12,879 units in September, down 40.51 per cent from 21,652 units a year-ago.
Mahindra & Mahindra's (M&M) domestic sales stood at 40,574 units as against 45,263 units in the same month last year, down 10.35 per cent.