Even as Maruti Suzuki's once bread-and-butter M800 model is seeing interest wane among buyers in India, demand for the country's once most iconic car has shot up in markets abroad.
Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Saturday reported 10.3 per cent decline in total sales in January at 1,02,416 units as against 1,14,205 units in the same month last year.
However, compared to August, vehicle sales increased by 15.25 per cent on the back of discounts. Maruti led the market in offering heavy discounts and incentives for buyers and dealers, reports Arindam Majumder.
The country's leading automakers Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motor reported a decline in dispatches to dealers in March as shortage of electronic components impacted production. On the other hand, Tata Motors, Skoda and Kia India posted their highest ever monthly wholesales last month. Toyota Kirloskar Motor said its dispatches in March were the highest in the last five years while Mahindra & Mahindra also reported a robust increase in its passenger vehicle dispatches in March.
India's largest automobile manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki is planning to launch the company's entry-level sports utility vehicle, Jimny in the country by the year-end.
The country's top carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Wednesday said it has decided to advance maintenance shutdown at its two Haryana-based manufacturing plants by a month amid a surge in the COVID-19 cases across the country. The auto major was supposed to take the shutdown at its two plants in Gurugram and Manesar in June, but due to the tsunami of COVID-19 cases, it decided to take it one month earlier to save oxygen for medical needs. MSI noted that as part of the car manufacturing process, it uses a small amount of oxygen in its factories, while relatively much larger quantities are used by the manufacturers of components.
Maruti, Hyundai and General Motors posted negative results whereas Honda car sales zoomed in November.
The company, which already has around 66 per cent market share in the hatchback segment and about 50 per cent in the overall domestic passenger vehicle segment, currently sells Vitara Brezza and S-Cross in the SUV segment. In an interaction with PTI, MSI managing director and CEO Kenichi Ayukawa acknowledged that there was some lag in launching new products due to the pandemic but the company is now on track regarding new model launches.
The added new features in the car include leather seat covers, double-din sound system with USB, dual tone interiors, body graphics, full wheel covers and beige parcel tray.
A draft notice has been prepared and villagers are deliberating on the issue and taking legal counsel.
The dealers have started accepting bookings for Rs 10,000.
Corporate India continues to be generous in rewarding its shareholders with big dividend payouts. This is especially true for shareholders of companies such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Hindustan Zinc (HZL), and Coal India (CIL) which are seen as cash cows of large business groups and the government. Boosted by a big payout by these three companies, the combined equity dividend payout by listed companies was up 38 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to a record high of Rs 2.27 trillion in 2022-23 (FY23), compared with Rs 1.65 trillion in 2021-22 (FY22).
Most of the engines used by Suzuki's two-wheelers in India are manufactured by Maruti at its Manesar plant.
Workers, union leaders in hiding amid spate of arrests; Japanese nationals among 100 injured; killed person identified as HR general manager
Demand for models such as Ertiga, DZire and Swift were robust in the quarter despite slowdown in auto industry.
Several carmakers, including car market leader Maruti Suzuki India pulled the plug on diesel models citing higher costs for BSVI variants leaving buyers with limited options.
Currency fluctuation has been affecting margins.
Leading carmakers Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai witnessed a double-digit drop in sales in October on account of the global semiconductor shortage impacting production. Kia India, Honda Cars and MG Motor also saw a fall in dispatches last month as compared with October 2020. However, companies like Tata Motors, Mahindra, Nissan and Skoda managed to post positive numbers last month despite the supply chain challenges.
The company has been gradually ramping up production at the plant, which had been locked out for a month following the July 18 violence in which one senior official was killed.
Investors' wealth has swelled by over Rs 13.16 lakh crore as benchmark indices continued their northward march for the fifth session on the trot on Monday. The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 935.72 points or 1.68 per cent to settle at 56,486.02 on Monday. In the past five trading sessions, the benchmark has zoomed 3,643.27 points or 6.89 per cent. Propelled by the optimism in equities, the market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms jumped by Rs 13,16,944.74 crore in five trading sessions to Rs 2,54,27,775.78 crore.
According to estimates available with industry experts, the wage bill of Maruti Suzuki, the country's largest car maker, is expected to increase by Rs 65-70 crore (Rs 650-700 million) after the increments.
Amid a shift in mobility trends and people increasingly opting for less polluting energy sources, sales of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles increased more than 82 per cent in the past five years. A total of 729,902 CNG vehicles were sold in 2022-23 against 400,825 in 2017-18, according to VAHAN Dashboard. Though the increase in sales of CNG-powered vehicles has been significant, their share in overall vehicle sales remains minuscule as is the case with EVs.
Beginning with a bang amid all the glitz and glamour of the biennial Auto Expo, the year will be ending with a whimper for the automobile industry as sales dwindle, and the worst-ever industrial violence at Maruti Suzuki's Manesar plant leaves a big scar.
The new SX4 comes with many features including an all new touch-screen audio with integrated navigation with Bluetooth.
As the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic abates, India's automakers are hopeful of a quick recovery in sales volumes, led by better rural sentiment, low interest rates, improved availability of finance and a gradual uptick in business and economic activity. In fact, companies have started to ramp up production already, encouraged by high order books and the growing preference for private transport in both rural and urban areas as a means to avoid infections. In early April, the industry had been bullish as the sales trend for March showed that the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic had been left behind. The total vehicle sales had grown by 77 per cent, albeit on a lower base, and for the past few months, sales had consistently touched 300,000 units per month.
Innovation ranging from exterior designs of vehicles to EV charger locks grabbed eyeballs at the expo
Addressing shareholders at the 31st annual general meeting, which started after observing a minute's silence in memory of slain general manager Awanish Kumar Dev, Maruti Suzuki India chairman R C Bhargava said that security cover at Manesar plant will continue till its staff feels secure.
Chairman of Japan's Suzuki Motor Corporation Osamu Suzuki on Monday visited the violence-hit Manesar plant of the company's Indian arm Maruti Suzuki.
Maruti was allotted around 640 acres of land at Hansalpur which lies nestled between Mehsana district and the Sanand-Viramgam area.
Equity investors became richer by over Rs 7.21 lakh crore as stock markets continued the rally for the second day on Wednesday. The 30-share BSE Sensex opened in the green on Wednesday and further jumped 1,469.64 points or 2.75 per cent to 54,893.73 during the day. It finally settled at 54,647.33, higher by 1,223.24 points or 2.29 per cent amid reports of diplomatic efforts to end Russia's attack on Ukraine. On Tuesday, it settled at 53,424.09, higher by 581.34 points or 1.10 per cent.
The country's largest car-maker has also issued termination notices to 500 regular workers.
According to sources close to the development, the newly formed body -- Maruti Suzuki Workers' Union -- has submitted a list of about 20 demands to the management for consideration while finalising the three-year wage settlement agreement.
Cops name them as main accused in violence at Manesar plant, in which a senior official was killed.
The Haryana government has agreed to appoint a special prosecutor, K T S Tulsi, to frame charges against those identified in connection with the incident.
Country's largest car maker draws nearly half of its sales from exchange programmes, rural focus.
Maruti Suzuki India may have taken pride in its 'Gypsy' model with defence forces as its main customers but Mahindra & Mahindra Vice-Chairman and MD Anand Mahindra has likened it to a rabbit compared to the company's cheetah-inspired 'XUV500'.
Car exports from India have reached the levels of around six lakh units annually.
The country's biggest carmaker is now more valuable than the combined market cap of the three leading automobile companies in the country: Tata Motors (Rs 1,18,684 crore), M&M (Rs 86,336 crore) and Ashok Leyland (Rs 34,700 crore).
The 11th Auto Expo will be held from January 7 - 11, 2012, at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
Sensing stiff competition from Maruti Suzuki with the all-new Alto 800 with an aggressive price tag, Hyundai and Tata Motors announced deep price cuts and launch of new special edition variants, respectively to beat the market leader.
