Autocos dream run continues this fiscal as sales up in Apr

The successful run of the auto companies in 2009-10 could continue this fiscal as well if numbers in the first month are anything to go by....

The successful run of the auto companies in 2009-10 could continue this fiscal as well if numbers in the first month are anything to go by. However,high raw material costs and a possible tightening of the interest rates due to inflation remain a big concern for the industry.

Market leader Maruti Suzuki Indias sales surged 23.4% at 80,034 units in April 2010 against 64,857 units in the same month the previous year. The companys A2 segment,which has a portfolio of cars ranging from WagonR,Alto,Estilo and Swift,recorded the highest volumes in the month at 46,817 units as compared to 7,066 units the in A3 segment. The company has been citing raw material costs and increased competition as two major challenges in the current fiscal.

Hyundai Motor Indias sales increased 28.1% at 28,501 units in April 2010 against 22,247 units in April 2009. The companys director for marketing & sales,Arvind Saxena,attributed the growth to Hyundais product portfolio spearheaded by the newly refurbished i-20.

However,export figures for the countrys largest car exporter grew at a tardy 6.3% at 23,519 units last month compared to 22,123 units in April 2009.

Meanwhile,General Motors India more than doubled its sales in April 2010 at 10,601 units against 4,823 units in the same month the previous year,riding on the success of its new hatchback car Chevrolet Beat,which contributed over one-third to its April 2010 numbers,selling a total of 3,852 units. This was followed by 3,507 units of Chevrolet Spark and another 1,529 units of Chevrolet Tavera.

Ford Motor India sales increased 269% at 7,509 units in April 2010,compared with 2,034 units in April 2009. The recently launched Ford Figo has been a big draw for the company. Since its launch in March,more than 15,000 bookings have been completed.

The two-wheeler segment also continued to see impressive growth rate due to high rural penetration. The countrys largest two-wheeler maker Hero Honda Motors,however,saw its April sales figures nosedive due to the labour stir at its major battery suppliers plant- Exide Industries plant at Bawal Haryana. On a sequential basis,its sales dropped 10.36 % at 3,71,652 units against its record sales in the previous month of March at 4,14,638 units. The companys senior vice-president for marketing and sales,Anil Dua,acknowledged the problem. As we have already informed,due to certain IR issues at our suppliers end we have faced an acute shortage of batteries for over two weeks in the month of April, Dua said. He,however,added that the labour issues have now been resolved. The company in April 2009 sold 3,70,575 units.

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Chennai-based TVS Motors sales surged 24% in motorcycles sales at 66,000 units in April against 53,235 units in April 2009. The companys scooter sales in the same month grew 43% t 24,960 units against 17,576 units in the same month previous year. Yamaha Motors sales in April 2010 grew 42% at 24,960 units against 17,576 units in April 2009.