Maruti Suzuki Q4 net down 18.34 per cent, income up 30.26 per cent

24 April 2009

Maruti Suzuki India Limited, India's number one carmaker, today reported a net profit of Rs243.1 crore for the fourth quarter of the financial year 2008-09 (January-March 2009) against Rs297.7 crore during the same quarter of the previous year – an 18.34 per cent fall year-over-year .

Total income (net of excise or income from operations plus other income) during the quarter stood at Rs6,538.3 crore - a growth of 30.26 per cent compared to January-March 2008.

While there was a 17 per cent growth in unit sales during the quarter, the adverse foreign exchange movements during the year, impacted the bottomline in Q4 as well, the company said in a release.

For the financial year as a whole (April 2008-March 2009), Maruti Suzuki reported a net profit of Rs1,218.7 - a 29.6 per cent fall year-over-year from 2007-08. The company's EBDITA for the year stood at Rs2,433.4 crore, a fall of about 22 per cent over the previous year.

Total income (net of excise or income from operations plus other income) for the financial year, however, climbed 14.28 per cent to Rs21,453.8 crore - the highest ever for the company. The company attributed higher total income on higher realisations, largely contributed by the company's popular hatch-back Swift and premium sedan Swift Dzire (diesel and petrol variants).

During the year, raw material prices went up sharply and remained high for most part of the year. Forex fluctuations were also adverse and impacted the bottomline significantly, the company said.