NEW DELHI: On the back of robust demand for sports utility vehicles (SUVs), carmakers such as Hyundai Motor India, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) and Toyota Kirloskar reported their highest-ever monthly sales in September 2023. The growth in monthly dispatches from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) also comes as they are stacking up inventory in dealer showrooms in anticipation of a strong festive season.
Hyundai registered its highest-ever total sales of 71,641 units in September 2023. Total sales include domestic sales of 54,241 units and exports of 17,400 units.
Tarun Garg, COO, of Hyundai Motor India, said, “In September 2023, HMIL has achieved its highest ever total monthly sales since inception marking a key milestone in the brand’s history. The ongoing festive season has resulted in a strong sales momentum, helping us achieve more than 9% growth YoY in domestic sales in September 2023.”
Garg adds, “Our strong SUV portfolio, has received a further boost with the exceptional customer response to the newly launched Hyundai EXTER. SUVs now contribute to more than 65% of our domestic sales.“ Hyundai’s SUV line-up includes Creta, Venue, and Alcazar among others.
SUV major - Mahindra & Mahindra announced that in the utility vehicle segment, it recorded the highest sales for the third consecutive month. In September, the company sold 41,267 vehicles in the domestic market, and overall, 42,260 vehicles, including exports. The domestic sales for Commercial Vehicles stood at 23,997 units.
Veejay Nakra, President, Automotive Division, M&M Ltd., “We are excited to achieve our highest-ever sale of SUVs for the third consecutive month. This month we saw a growth of 20% with 41,267 vehicles. We also registered an overall growth of 17%. In September, we also crossed the 1 lakh unit mark for our Bolero Maxx Pik Up trucks, making it the fastest-selling pickup in the country to reach that mark. While demand for our key SUV brands continues to be strong, we are keeping a close watch on the availability of semi-conductors and select components to meet the strong festive season demand”. Mahindra’s top SUVs include models such as Thar, XUV700 and Scorpio N.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor said it registered yet another remarkable month of performance, selling 23,590 units in September 2023. This represents a growth of 53% over the same period last year. Total sales achieved include domestic units of 22,168 and export of 1,422 units.
The carmaker said that this growth is attributed to the continued success of recent models including Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Innova Hycross, Hilux and the New Rumion which is the latest addition to the portfolio in the B-MPV segment.
Atul Sood, Vice President of Sales, and Strategic Marketing at Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “We are witnessing sustained demand across our product line-up which is leading to the company’s record-breaking performance. In a key product milestone, we also began customer deliveries of the New Rumion.”
“As we move forward in the festive season, we are expecting a promising period with demand continuing to grow thus further enhancing our sales performance,” added Sood.
India’s top carmaker Maruti Suzuki (MSIL) also witnessed sales growth in September 2023.
MSIL’s total domestic passenger vehicle sales in September 2023 stood at 150,812, a marginal growth from 148,380 units sold in the same month last year. While demand for its mini and compact cars fell sharply from 101,750 units in September 2022 to 78,903 units last month, its utility vehicle volume early doubled year-on-year to 59,271 units in September 2023.
MG Motor retailed 5,003 units in September 2023, a growth of 31% over the figures for September 2022. Sales of EVs continue to contribute 25% of the total sales of the company.
