Maruti Suzuki’s domestic sales surge 24.7% in October

The onset of the festive season and fresh launches augured well for Maruti Suzuki as the domestic sales of the country’s largest carmaker grew a whopping 24.7% in October 2015 to 121,063 units against 97,069 units sold a year ago.

The carmaker saw growth in almost all segments, barring the mid-size segment, as dispatches rose significantly. Sales of Maruti Suzuki’s mini segment, which comprises of the Alto and the Wagon R, rose 5.2% to 37,595 units in the month.

Sales of compact cars, which include models like the Swift, Ritz, Celerio and Dzire, grew sharply by 37.7% in the month to 51,048 units. October also marked the inclusion of the much-awaited Baleno to Maruti’s compact segment. 

Demand for the Dzire Tour (for cabs and fleet operators) also remained strong and the company sold 3,418 units as compared to 1,408 units in October 2014.

Sales of the utility vehicles segment which comprises of Gypsy, Ertiga, Grand Vitara and the new S-Cross also rose significantly by 56.5% to 9,435 units. It is interesting to note that due to the slow off-take of the S-Cross, Maruti had started offering discounts of up to Rs 90,000 on the car last month.

On the downside, sales of the Ciaz sedan, which comes under the mid-size segment, slowed 7.8% to 5,890 units in October from 6,345 units a year ago. The company had introduced the Ciaz in October itself last year.

Sales of the vans segment, which comprise of the Eeco and the Omni, also rose by 30.8% to 13,677 units against 10,453 units a year ago.

On the export front, Maruti Suzuki saw sharp growth in October as the carmaker shipped 13,146 units, 90.4% higher than the previous year. As a result, total car sales for the company in October grew by 29.1% to 134,209 units.