MUL market share drops to 54 pc

Propelled by a robust revival in economy, passenger car sales rose 10.5 per cent to 52,593 units in May 2000 as against 47,566 units sold during the same period of previous year.

Fiat India saw sales of its passenger cars drop by 25 per cent during the period, according to sales figures released by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). However, Daewoo, Hyundai, Tata Engineering and Honda-Siel saw sales move into top gear during the period.

Hyundai continued to be the second largest car maker in the country with a 14 per cent market share, while Daewoo moved up to the third slot with a 10.4 per cent share of the market while Tata Engineering settled with a 9.8 per cent share.

Maruti sold 57,549 units during April-May, 2000, down from 65,031 units a year ago. The company had a over 70 per cent market share in April-May, 1999. MUL’s market share in May 2000, was even lower at 52 per cent with sales of 27,533 units. Its multi-utility vehicle sales in this fiscal declined by 73 per cent to 287 units from 1,073 units a year ago.

Hyundai sold a total 14,866 units in the first two months of this year, up 84.6 per cent from 8,050 units a year ago, while country cousin Daewoo motors sold 11,100 units, a two fold increase from 3,255 units in the corresponding period of the previous year. Tata Engineering sold 10,404 units, up 149 per cent from 4,173 units a year ago.

Ford India and General Motors India, riding on the increasing demand for their respective new offerings, were the only other car manufacturers to have recorded a growth in sales during the period. Ford sold 3,184 units of Ikon during the two-month period (up from 345 units a year ago), while General Motors India sold 1,133 units, up from 382 units a year earlier.

The SIAM data revealed that Fiat India Automobiles Limited (FIAL) sold 2,292 units of UNO and Siena during the period, down 25 per cent from 3,081 units a year ago. Mercedes Benz India saw its sales drop 43 per cent during the two-month period at 125 units from 220 units a year earlier.

Hindustan Motors’ sales declined slightly and closed the period at 3,613 units, down two per cent from 3,688 units in the previous year. Honda Siel cars continued to record good demand for its mid-sized City as sales recorded a 38.9 per cent growth at 1,826 units, up from 1,314 units last year.

Propelled by a robust 35.57 per cent growth in sales registered by motorcycle segment, the two wheeler industry posted a 13.36 per cent increase in sales to 312,710 units in May 2000 as against 275,832 units sold in May 1999. Scooter sales however, dipped 13.6 per cent to 85,454 units from 98,947 units sold in May 1999.

In the multi-utility vehicle (MUV) segment, Maruti sales dipped 73 per cent to 119 units during May 2000 from 442 units sold in the same month last year. Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd’s MUV sales were down by 3.8 per cent at 4995 units from 5192 units sold in May 1999. Its cumulative sales was down 10 per cent to 9420 units during the first two months of the current fiscal as against 10,457 units sold in April-May 1999.

TELCO, however, posted a nine per cent increase in MUV sales to 2485 units in May 2000 as against 2282 units sold during the corresponding period last year. The company’s cumulative sales grew 13 per cent to 4611 in April-May this year from 4084 units sold during the same period in the previous year. Overall, MUV sales recorded a 16.7 per cent increase to 10,131 units in May 2000 as compared to 8,683 units sold in during the corresponding period last year.