Car sales drop in June

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JULY 2. Maruti Udyog (MUL) sold 26,092 cars in June which was a decline when compared to the 32,176 units sold in the previous month. The company attributed the lower sales to plant closure for a week for routine bi-annual maintenance. However, the performance was better than the 15,908 units sold in June last year.

Despite a sluggish market, Maruti's cumulative sales in the first quarter of the current fiscal (April-June 2001) were about 17 per cent higher than the same period last year. The company's market share now stands at 60 per cent in the first quarter as compared to 50 per cent in the same period last year.

Maruti's share in the competitive B segment was 43 per cent in April-June up from 30 per cent in the same period last year, according to a company release. The model sales figure for June is follows Maruti 800 10,860 units, Omni 4,236, Zen 5,975, Wagon- R 1,931, Alto 2,192, Esteem 812 and Baleno 86 vehicles.

The country's second largest car manufacturer, Hyundai, however reported slightly higher sales. The company sold 8,502 units last month as compared to 8,134 in May. However, sales were much higher when compared with 7,561 units sold in June last year. In the first quarter, Hyundai sold 23,744 units which was 13.6 higher over the same period in the last financial year.

Commenting on the sales figures, the Hyundai Managing Director, Mr. Y. S. Kim, said, ``While the market in general has seen a slowdown, Hyundai products continued to enjoy the trust of consumers. This amply reflects in the fastest roll out of our 2,00,000th car recently.''

Drop in GM sales

PTI reports:

General Motors India (GMI) reported a 4.1 per cent drop in sales at 578 cars in June over 603 cars sold in the same month last year. The sales included 153 units of the premium mid-sized car Opel Astra and 415 units of the mid-size car Opel Corsa, GMI vice president (corporate affairs), Mr. P. Balendran, said. GMI's June sales were lower by 7 per cent as compared to 622 cars sold in May this year.

Cumulative sales (April-June 2001-02) moved up marginally by 2.2 per cent to 1,775 cars from 1,736 units sold in the year-ago period.

Honda Siel's sales decline

Honda Siel Cars India has announced a 10.9 per cent drop in June 2001 sales at 713 units over 801 units sold in the year-ago month. The June sales were flat as compared to 710 units sold in May this year, a company spokesperson told PTI.

Cumulative sales (April-June 2001-02) slipped by 25.7 per cent to 1,950 cars over 2,627 cars sold in the year-ago period.

Honda Siel is a subsidiary of Japan's Honda Motor Company which holds 99 per cent stake while Siel has one per cent stake in the company.

Honda manufactures the mid-size car City in India.

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