Powered by an 11-year high in April cars sales, the total domestic vehicle market grew by 25.24 per cent last month as the automobile industry continued to benefit from the overall economic growth witnessed by the country.
According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), domestic car sales stood at 1,43,976 units in April, against 1,03,227 units in the same month last year, up 39.48 per cent.
"The is the highest growth achieved in the month of April after (April) 1999, during which car sales had grown by 50.29 per cent," newly appointed SIAM Director General Vishnu Mathur said.
The total vehicle sales across all segments during the last month grew by 25.24 per cent to 11,20,081 units, against 8,94,380 units in the same month of last year.
Mathur attributed this to the overall economic growth that the country witnessed in the last few quarters. "There is investment on infrastructure and there is also availability of finance, and customer sentiments have improved," he said.
According to SIAM, car market leader Maruti Suzuki's domestic sales grew by 22.12 per cent to 68,668 units in April, while rival Hyundai Motor India also registered 28.15 per cent growth at 28,501 units. Tata Motors' sales rose by 76.41 per cent to 19,762 units during the month.
The total two-wheeler sales in April grew by 22.06 per cent to 8,55,670 units from 7,00,987 units in April 2009. Bike sales in India during April also went up by 16.67 per cent to 6,56,119 units from 5,62,349 units in the year-ago period.
The growth occurred despite market leader Hero Honda dropping sales by 2.71 per cent to 3,38,708 units in April 2010. Rival Bajaj Auto, however, saw sales soaring by 76.49 per cent to 1,87,994 units, while Chennai-based TVS Motor Company posted 10.78 per cent growth at 49,008 units in April.
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) saw its bike sales rise by 48.31 per cent to 58,041 units. In the scooter segment, the total sales in April jumped by 52.63 per cent to 1,48,247 units against 97,129 units in the year-ago period, SIAM added.
HMSI's scooter sales were up by 32.91 per cent at 71,477 units, while TVS Motor's scooter sales also increased by 41.30 per cent in April at 25,159 units. Hero Honda's scooter sales also went up by 55.55 per cent, at 23,682 units, in April.
