Indica sales cross 100,000

Sales of Tata Motor's Indica car have topped 100,000. "At 105,521 units sold in 2004-05 (April-March), the Indica emerged as the largest selling compact car in the Rs 3-5 lakh price category, for the first time," the company said in a media statement today.

Tata Motor also said its five passenger car brands topped their respective segments in 2004-05. Sales of Indica crossed 11,000 in March 2005 for the first time, at 11,056.

Sales of the Indigo family of cars increased to their highest level of 4,584 vehicles in March. Further, in the utility vehicle segment, Sumo and Safari recorded total sales of 4,355 units in March 2005.

The Sumo re-emerged as the largest selling utility vehicle after 4 years. Sales of Sumo were at the highest level in the last seven years and Safari remained the largest-selling vehicle in the premium SUV segment, defined as vehicles carrying a tag of Rs 7 lakh and above.

As a result of strong growth in the sales of its passenger cars and utility vehicles, Tata Motor reported a 27.2 per cent jump in its total vehicle sales to 399,566 in 2004-05, up from 314,258 in the previous year. In March 2005, the company's sales increased 28 per cent to 44,433 vehicles. Tata Motor sold 34,725 vehicles in March 2004.

Sales of Indica crossed 11,000 in March 2005 for the first time by clocking 11,056 units and the Indigo family posted its highest ever sales with 4,584 vehicles. Further, the Sumo and the Safari recorded total sales of 4,355 in March 2005.

In the commercial vehicles segment, Tata Motor's sales increased 17 per cent in March 2005 to 20,474, against 17,792 units sold in March 2004 while the cummulative sales in the domestic market in 2004-2005 increased by 24.8 per cent to 189,994, versus 152,195 vehicles sold in the last financial year.

The company sold 14,248 medium and heavy commercial vehicles in March 2005, a gain of 16.2 per cent over 12,267 sold in March 2004. Cumulative sales of such trucks stood at 129,245, an increase of 25.3 per cent. Light commercial vehicle sales added up to 6,226 in March 2005, marking a 12.7 per cent increase over 5,525 sold in March 2004.

For the full year 2004-05, Tata Motors sold 60,749 LCVs, a growth rate of 23.9 per cent over the 49,026 vehicles sold last year.

Export sales more than doubled in March 2005 to 3,964 in March 2005 against 1,863 vehicles sold in March last year. Cumulative export sales for 2004-2005 increased 38.3 per cent to 30,496 vehicles, over 22,046 last year.