Maruti Oct-Dec profits up 18 percent, misses estimates

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's top-selling carmaker Maruti Suzuki Ltd said net profit for the October-December quarter rose 18 percent year-on-year, missing analysts estimates.

Maruti, which sells one in two cars in India, reported a quarterly profit of 8.02 billion rupees ($130.53 million), compared with 6.81 billion rupees a year ago. Net sales rose 15.5 percent to 122.63 billion rupees.

Analysts on average expected the company to make profits of 9.06 billion rupees, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

($1 = 61.4400 rupees)

(Reporting by Aditi Shah; Editing by Miral Fahmy)