Auto sales at record 1,237,461 units in july

New launches and penetration ensure surge across segments

On the back of strong demand for passenger cars and two-wheelers, the Indian automobile industry posted its highest monthly sales at 1,237,461 units last month. The previous high was 1,226,944 units in March.

According to data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) today, sales grew 31.5 per cent in July compared to 941,070 units sold during the corresponding period last year.

Vishnu Mathur, director general, Siam, informed: "The growth was mainly due to good growth in the passenger car segment, scooters and mopeds, as new model launches, penetration into rural markets and availability of finances continue to boost sales.”

Passenger car sales registered a rise of around 40 per cent at 158,764 units last month from the 115,084 sold in July 2009.

While market leader Maruti Suzuki's domestic sales grew by 26.8 per cent to 76,111 units in July, Hyundai Motor India recorded a growth of 24.2 per cent at 28,811 units. Tata Motors' rose by 69.3 per cent to 24,613 units.

Mathur said total two-wheeler sales in July, at 938,514 units, were an all-time high, surpassing the previous record of 936,555 in May.

Sales were up 30.4 per cent over the 719,656 units in July 2009.

Motorcycle sales during July went up by 30.1 per cent to 710,621 units, compared to 546,233 units in the year-ago period. Hero Honda, largest in the segment, posted a growth rate of 13.96 per cent in July sales, at 389,795 units. Bajaj Auto saw sales rise by 76 per cent to 192,138 units and Chennai-based TVS Motor Company by 37.5 per cent to 43,888 units.

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) saw its bike sales jumping by 43.3 per cent to 55,540 units. In the scooter segment, sales jumped by 35.65 per cent to 167,195 units against 123,259 units in the year-ago period.

Growth in commercial vehicles was likewise, with sales last month up by 37 per cent to 51,481 units from 37,580 units in the year-ago period. Light commercial vehicle sales surged 25.3 per cent in July to 26,912 units from 21,481 units.

Medium and heavy commercial vehicle sales increased by 52.6 per cent to 24,569 units, compared to 16,099 in the same month last year.

Sales numbers for three-wheelers were up 25.4 per cent at 45,373 units, compared to 36,171 during July.