Maruti Suzuki Jan sales rise 5.39%

Bucking three months of consecutive decline in sales, the country's largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki, today reported 5.39 per cent rise in its sales during January on the back of its highest ever monthly sales.

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) sold a total of 71,779 vehicles last month compared with 68,107 units in the year-ago period, the company said in a statement.

After September last year, MSI's sales were declining drastically for the next three consecutive months at 7.1 per cent, 27.4 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively.

The previous highest sales were registered at 71,772 units in March, 2007, it added.

The domestic sales of MSI stood at 67,005 units compared with 63,459 units in the same month a year-ago, up by 5.59 per cent, the company said.

Exports also grew by 2.71 per cent at 4,774 units against 4,648 units in the corresponding month last year.

Sales of its once bread and butter model M800 rose by 1.85 per cent for the first time in the recent many months at 5,571 units against 5,470 units last year.

The A2 segment (comprising A-Star, Alto, Zen Estilo, Swift and WagonR) sales stood at 46,899 units against 45,957 units, registering an increase of 2.05 per cent.

The company posted a robust over two-fold growth in the A3 segment (consisting of SX4, Swift DZiRE and Esteem) at 6,590 units against 2,939 units last year.

The company's total passenger car sales moved northward by 5.68 per cent to 66,819 units against 63,227 units last year.