Leading passenger vehicle maker Maruti Suzuki on Saturday reported marginal growth while Hyundai and Tata Motors posted a decline in their sales in February as a slowdown in the market continued with demand remaining muted. On the other hand, Mahindra & Mahindra and Toyota Kirloskar Motor posted double-digit growth riding on their SUV and MPV models.
Talks between the management and striking workers at the Manesar plant broke down.
Workers at Suzuki Powertrain India Ltd and Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd, who have also gone on strike in support of their colleagues at MSI, are continuing their stir.
The department had also said it would initiate action to derecognise the unions of SPIL and SMIPL.
The company has been hit hard, not only by strike of its own workers, but also due to the supply shortage of engines and transmissions from Suzuki Powertrain India Ltd.
"The Manesar plant remains captive in the hands of workers. There is no production possible there. Due to the impact of components from SPIL, production at Gurgaon will be even lower compared to yesterday," a Maruti Suzuki India spokesperson said.
Japanese automaker Suzuki on Wednesday announced an investment of Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) to more than double its production capacity in India, to 5.4 lakh units per annum by 2012.
Hyundai Motor and Toyota Kirloskar Motor have announced the suspension of manufacturing operations at their respective plants amid coronavirus outbreak. On Sunday, various automakers like Maruti Suzuki India, Honda Cars, Mahindra & Mahindra and Fiat announced a temporary halt in manufacturing operations at their respective facilities.
While sales of compact cars, including models such as Swift, Celerio, Ignis, Baleno and Dzire declined, sales of utility vehicles, including Vitara Brezza, S-Cross and Ertiga, increased 26.3 per cent to 19,177 units as compared to 15,178 in the year-ago month.
Passenger vehicle sales continue to drop in June; Maruti, Hyundai, Tata Motors, Toyota witness decline. Mahindra & Mahindra, however, reported a 4 per cent growth.
M&M also saw its domestic passenger vehicle sales grow by 1 per cent, while Toyota Kirloskar Motor witnessed a decline in its PV sales.
The auto industry has had a mixed month. The build up to Dhanteras and Diwali was good but the demand tapered off subsequently.