Maruti makes hay while sales shine

The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki hiked prices across its model line-up yesterday with the premium range Vitara Brezza and the Baleno hatchback now costing Rs 20,000 and Rs 10,000 more, respectively.

The company has also hiked prices on other select models by Rs 1,500 to Rs 5,000 (ex-showroom Delhi).

Record sales in July, long waiting periods and high demand for its recently launched Maruti vehicles have egged the company to hike prices. According to the company, “segment-wise demand, forex movements and its strategic objectives,” have resulted in the decision to revise the pricing.

Both the Vitara Brezza and the Baleno have been big hits in their respective segments since launch. The Baleno, which is retailed through the company’s premium sales channel Nexa has sold over 71,230 units since October. While the Vitara Brezza, which was launched in March this year, has sold 27,261 units till June. Both the models command waiting periods of over six months.

Maruti bounced back in July to notch its best ever monthly sales after it reported its lowest sales in two years in June. The carmaker sold old a total of 125,778 units in July 2016, with a growth of 13.9% over sales a year ago (June 2015: 110,405). The company's previous highest domestic monthly sales was 121,063 units registered in October 2015. The July 2016 numbers also mean Maruti  has ramped up production and increased despatches to dealers across the country to make up for the loss of over 50,000 units in June 2016 due to production stoppage at its Gurgaon and Manesar plants. 

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