Skoda sets higher sales target for '05

Enthused by an impressive 55 per cent jump in the 2004 sales volume, Czech car maker SkodaAuto's Indian subsidiary, SkodaAuto India has increased its sales target for 2005 to 13,200 units from an original target of 10,000 set for this calendar.

SkodaAuto India today announced that its sales volume jumped by 55 per cent in 2004 to 7,200 units. The company had in the previous calendar year sold 4,656 units.

The company in its media release said that while the Indian automobile market grew by 24 per cent in 2004, SkodaAuto India has witnessed a growth of 55 per cent.

To meet the renewed targets the company plans to increase its dealer network to 46 in 2005 from the present 36.

Kolkata-based Hindustan Motors Ltd too has registered a significant increase in sales of its Ambassador car in December 2004.

The company sold 1,303 units compared with 862 units in the corresponding period last year, thereby recording a 51 per cent increase.

Ambassador has also improved on its month on month performance. HM sold 983 units in November 2004, registering a 33 per cent growth in December 2004.

The strong trend in Ambassador's sales has been continuing since the beginning of the current financial year. In the period April-December 2004, Hindustan Motors has sold 8,907 units of the Ambassador compared with 8,311 units in the corresponding period last year, thereby recording a seven per cent increase in sales.

The commercial vehicle unit of Eicher Motors Ltd (EML), has also registered a growth of 35 per cent in the sales of its commercial vehicles in December 2004 with sales of 2,243 vehicles as against 1,656 in the same month last year.

EML's cumulative sales of commercial vehicles for the period April-December 2004 of 14,923 vehicles have grown by 44 per cent over 10,356 vehicles sold during the corresponding period last year.