Maruti Suzuki sells 133,732 units in July, shows momentum is back

Passenger vehicle market leader Maruti Suzuki India has reported total domestic market sales of 133,732 units in July 2021. This constitutes a year-on-year increase of 37% on July 2020’s 97,768 units, a month which saw pandemic-induced loss of sales. In July 2019, Maruti Suzuki had sold 96,478 units in July 2019 (-36%) and 152,427 units in July 2018.

The entry level hatchback duo of the Alto and S-Presso sold a total of 19,685, up 13% on June 2021 (17,439 units), which reveals month-on-month growth. Nonetheless, demand is yet to return fully to this segment, which is currently witnessing strong sales in the used car market, indicating that cash-strapped consumers are preferring to spend less even as existing vehicle owners hold on to their cars.

The high-selling six-pack – Wagon R, Swift, Celerio, Ignis, Baleno and Dzire and Tour S – sold a total of 70,268 units, up just 2% month on month (June 2021: 68,849 units) and down  3% over the 72,318 unit sold in April 2021.

Meanwhile, demand for SUVs continues and, like other OEMs, Maruti Suzuki too is riding the wave. Its UVs – Vitara Brezza, Ertiga, S-Cross, Gypsy and XL6 – sold a total of 32,272 units, up 14.5% over June 2021’s 28,172 units.

Growth outlook
With rural India coming back on track, albeit slowly, the carmaker will be looking to accelerate its efforts in town and country. Last month, it crossed the 50 lakh or 5 million units milestone in cumulative rural India sales. With a strong rural India retail network of 1,700 outlets, Maruti Suzuki sees nearly 40% of sales come from this region. The top six models that sell in rural India are the Alto, Wagon R, Swift, Dzire, Eeco and the Baleno. 

With petrol prices on fire and in excess of Rs 100 a litre in all four metros and key cities across India, Maruti Suzuki is also seeing growing demand for its CNG-powered models.