The slight revival in passenger car sales in India seen in the festival month of October has failed to be sustained as automobile manufacturers commence to disclose their November sales figures.
In October, passenger car sales were up a marginal 0.28 percent breaking an 11-month consecutive decline, according to figures published by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). Although aggregate passenger car sales by the industry for November are yet to be collated, sales figures being announced by leading companies clearly indicate that even the marginal growth recorded by the industry during October was not sustained in the following month, with sales of most companies reverting to a decline.
The country’s largest passenger car manufacturer in terms of market share, Maruti Suzuki, has announced a 3.3 percent fall in sales year on year in November, compared to an increase in sales of 2.3 percent in October. The company sold 141,400 units in November, down 3.3 percent from November 2018.
Tata Motors’ sales of passenger cars in November this year were announced at 38,057 units, down 25 percent from the corresponding month of the previous year.
Mahindra, the third largest passenger car manufacturer in India, posted November sales of 38,614 units, down seven percent over sales during the corresponding month of the previous year. While Honda Cars India Limited posted a 50 percent fall in November sales to 6,459 units.
South Korean passenger car manufacturer, Hyundai India, the second largest by market share in India, was able to buck the trend of declining industry sales, posting a slight increase of two percent to 44,709 units in November.
Indications available from figures announced by some companies show that even commercial vehicle manufacturers have failed to boost sales during the month. According to commercial vehicle producer Ashoke Leyland, its sales in November were recorded at 9,377 units, down 25 percent year on year.