Maruti expands lead over rivals with 51% share, best ever sales in October

Shift towards petrol, entry-level vehicles and robust distribution in rural areas helps company to maintain pole position

A wide range of petrol models, a shift in demand towards entry-level vehicles because of the economic downturn, and good distribution in rural areas helped the country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India strengthen its leadership position in the market, according to sales data for October.

However, it faces growing competition in the premium vehicles space, notably in the mid-size and utility vehicle segments. In October, seven of 10 top selling models were from the Maruti stable. The company sold 166,825 vehicles — the highest in its history, which propelled its retail market share to 51.1 per cent from 49 per cent