The country’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India has reported wholesales of 135,879 units in April 2021,the first month of fiscal year 2022.

While April 2020 was a month of zero sales due to a nationwide-imposed lockdown in India, MSIL’s performance shows an uptick of 3.42 percent compared to April 2019 (131,385) and a sales decline of 17 percent compared to the sales volumes of 163,434 units registered in the previous year.

The duo of Alto and S-Presso went home to 25,041 buyers and the six-pack of the Wagon R, Swift, Celerio, Ignis, Baleno, Dzire and Tour S registered sales of 72,318 units. While the Ciaz sedan could clock only 1,567 units, the UV pack of Gypsy, Ertiga, Vitara Brezza, S-Cross and XL6 sold 25,484 units.

Even as it is observing reasonable demand in citiesand towns where the states have not imposed lockdown-like restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease, which is moving like wildfire in its mutated avatar, on April 28, MSIL had issued a statement announcing shutting down of its factories in Haryana as well as Gujarat.

“As part of the car manufacturing process, Maruti Suzuki uses a small amount of oxygen in its factories while relatively much larger quantities are used by the manufacturers of components. In the current situation, we believe that all available oxygen should be used to save lives. Accordingly, Maruti Suzuki has decided to advance its maintenance shutdown, originally scheduled for June, to 1st to 9th May. Production in all factories will close for maintenance during this period."