Maruti posts record annual sales in FY05

Maruti Udyog Ltd, the country's largest car maker, today reported sales of 536,301 vehicles during 2004-05, the highest ever annual sale since the company started operations two decades back.

The annual sales figure includes exports of 48,899 units. MUL's annual sale in 2004-05 represents a growth of 13.6 per cent over 2003-04.

In March 2005, the company sold 54,613 units, including 3,920 units of exports, the highest ever in a month by MUL. Sales in the C-segment, comprising Esteem and Baleno models, grew by 109 per cent during the fiscal year.

In the year ending March, 2005, Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) posted cumulative sales of 224,243 cars, achieving a growth of over 30 per cent over the previous fiscal year. Exports grew by 95 per cent in 2004-05 over 2003-04, with a shipment of 82,093 cars. In the domestic market, HMIL sold 142,150 cars, a growth of 9.5 per cent.

HMIL recorded its highest ever cumulative sales of 23,669 units in the month of March, this year, a growth of 23.2 per cent over March 2004.

In the domestic market too, HMIL achieved record sales of 16,315 units, a growth of 18.3 per cent over March 2004. The company's exports for the month stood at 7,354 units, growing by 36 per cent over the corresponding month in 2004.

The last month of the previous financial year also saw MUL's B-segment car Alto zip past competition with an all time-high sales of 14,577 units, emerging as a clear winner over 11,833 units of Santro sold by HMIL.

In the last seven months since MUL's A-segment car Maruti 800 gave way for peer model Alto to emerge as the largest selling car in the country, the race for the top-selling model was between Alto and Santro.

Except for November 2004, when Santro sold 25,000 units following a hefty Rs 30,000 Diwali discount, Alto has managed to stay on the top.

The last month of the financial saw Alto, the best selling compact car from MUL stable, reporting 23 per cent higher sales than its nearest competitor HMIL's Santro. Tata Motor's offering in this segment, Indica is at a distant third palce with averge monthly sales of around 6500 units.

Both MUL and HMIL had reported lacklustre sales in February, which according to company officials, was on hopes of a cut in excise duty in the Union Budget. Though the excise duty cuts did not materialise in the Budget, sales in March looked up, with models such s Alto and Santro reporting all-time high sales.