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Maruti Suzuki India Ltd on Wednesday said the company will close this year with the highest sales numbers since 2010.
The country’s largest carmaker expects sales of 11.48 lakh units this year, largely driven by high demand for new launches such as the Celerio, the new Alto K10 and the Ciaz sedan.
Maruti recorded the highest ever sales in 2010 when it sold 10.60 lakh vehicles.
“We have grown by 13 per cent in terms of volume till November and will maintain double digit growth this financial year,” RC Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India, told reporters here. The company has five cars among the top 10 best selling automobiles in India.
Maruti, with its popular models such as the Alto and the Swift, enhanced its market share to 44.8 per cent in the April-November period, up 4.1 per cent from the same period last year, Bhargava said.
The company’s total sales grew 13.1 per cent between April and November to 8.36 lakh units, against 7.39 lakh units a year ago.
According to RS Kalsi, Executive Director - Marketing and Sales, Maruti, new models such as Ciaz helped the company achieve new milestones.
Price hike
When “We have a booking of 27,000 units and there is a waiting period of around two months on the Ciaz,” he said, adding the company has already sold around 16,000 units of Ciaz since its launch in early October.
Asked about price hikes from January, Bhargava said Maruti has not made any decision on the quantum of the increases. If the Government retains the excise duty cuts beyond December 31, it would certainly help the industry grow.
“If it lapses (on December 31), then prices may go up by 4 per cent, and we will have to pass the burden on to the customer,” he added.
In June, the Government extended the duty concession for automobiles by six months to December 31, bringing down duty on small cars, scooters, motorcycles and commercial vehicles to 8 per cent from 12 per cent earlier.
When reporters asked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday whether the excise duty cut would continue, he said: “Wait till December 31”.
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