Car sales zoom in November; posts double-digit growth

Guwahati: Car sales remain strong even after the end of lucrative festive season making a significant mark in sales in November this fiscal.

Setting the stage for record-breaking sales in 2022, automakers reported their best-ever November sales, as personal transportation demand remained strong even after the busy holiday season.

Maruti Suzuki India, the biggest automaker in the nation, reported an 18% increase in domestic wholesale sales to 1,39,306 vehicles. Sales of small vehicles, including the Alto and S-Presso, jumped from 17,473 units in the same month last year to 18,251 units this month. According to MSI, the company's utility vehicle sales, which include the Brezza, Ertiga, and Grand Viatara, increased to 32,563 units from 24,574 cars.

Senior Executive Officer (Marketing & Sales) Shashank Srivastava of Maruti Suzuki India reported that the industry's wholesales increased by 31% to 3,22,860 units last month. According to Srivastava, "This is the highest-ever November sales for the sector, surpassing the previous milestone of 2.86 lakh in November 2020."

According to him, this is the sixth consecutive month that wholesale sales in the sector have exceeded three lakh.

Further explaining, Mr. Srivastava stated that the industry's sales have surpassed the 35 lakh mark from January through November of this year.

"This is the first time because the previous high (33.8 lakh units) occurred in 2018. The number was 28 lakh units from January to November of the previous year. In terms of the calendar year, there has thus been an increase of around 25% since last year, he said.

Presently, he stated that 38 lakh units will be sold over the whole fiscal year, which includes December.

Competitor Hyundai Motor India revealed that its wholesale sales last month increased by 30% to 48,003 units.

Tarun Garg, director of sales, marketing, and service for Hyundai Motor India, said the business was in a strong position to record its highest-ever domestic sales in 2022.

Tata Motors said that the overall number of passenger car dispatches increased by 55% to 46,037 units. Similar to this, Mahindra & Mahindra reported 30,392 units in domestic passenger car sales, a 56% increase from the previous month.

Veejay Nakra, President of M&M's Automotive Division, claimed that strong demand for the company's whole product line was the reason for the increase in November sales. "Due to ongoing international interruptions, the situation with the supply chain is still dynamic. We are keeping a close eye on things and taking the necessary precautions.

According to Yuichi Murata, director of marketing and sales at Honda Automobiles India, "Riding on the back of comparatively stronger economic outlook, the demand for cars has maintained well post-festive season and this momentum is also reflected in our sales results."

However, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) announced that wholesale sales fell 10% to 11,765 units in November 2022.

TKM has cancelled the small SUV Urban Cruiser and stopped taking reservations for the Innova's diesel variant, which had an influence on its shipments overall last month.

In the two-wheeler market, TVS Motor Company said that domestic two-wheeler sales increased by 9% to 1,91,730 units last month from 1,75,940 units the year before.

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