Passenger car sales increase 56%
New Delhi: The passenger car segment of the automobile industry witnessed a 56 per cent growth in sales during 1999-2000 on the back of a definite economic surge.

According to the latest sales figures published by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the total passenger cars sold (including exports) during the year ended March 2000 was 6,38,815 units as compared to 4,09,951 units sold during the period April 1998 to March 1999.

Benefiting from this trend, Maruti Udyog Ltd (MUL), registered a 21 per cent increase in sales at 3,97,586 units in 1999-2000 as compared to 3,26,523 units sold during the previous year. Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) also witnessed a growth in sales at 75,895 units for the year under review. It posted sales of 17,648 units in the previous year. However, the two figures are not comparable since sales of the Santro, HMIL's first offering in the Indian market, started only in October 1998.

Telco, with the Indica, its first foray into the highly competitive small car segment, recorded sales of 55,776 units (including the Tata Sierra and Tata Estate) during the year ended March 2000. In the previous year, it sold 4,732 vehicles. Daewoo Motors India Ltd, the subsidiary of the ailing Daewoo Motors of Korea, has reported sales of 40,217 units during the year under review. This was almost four times the sales of 10,121 units achieved during 1998-99. However, the sales figures are not comparable since sales of the Matiz, the company's popular small car, started only in the last quarter of calendar 1998. Fiat India Automobiles Ltd (FIAL) registered growth with sales touching 20,751 units in 1999-2000 as against sales of 10,117 units in 1998-99. FIAL manufactures the small car, Fiat Uno, and the mid-size car, the Fiat Siena.

Amongst the other mid-size car manufacturers, Ford India Ltd (FIL) witnessed a revival of fortunes with the new introduction, Ford Ikon, which constituted most of the sales of the company in 1999-2000. The only other mid-size car manufacturer that recorded a considerable growth in volumes was Hindustan Motors Ltd, which saw the sales of the Mitsubishi Lancer picking up from 20,115 units in 1998-99 to 26,860 units in 1999-2000.

At the negative end, sales of Honda Siel Cars India Ltd, manufacturer of the Honda City, continued to stagnate in spite of the introduction of the new look City during the year under review. Sales at 9,698 units were recorded this year as against 9,631 units recorded during the previous year. General Motors India Ltd (GMI) has witnessed a fall in total sales for 1999-2000. This was despite the launch of the company's compact mid-size car, the Corsa, early this year.

Sales of multiutility vehicles witnessed slow growth during 1999-2000. Sales at 1,23,422 units was up 10 per cent as compared to the 1998-99 sales of 1,11,736 units. Mahindra & Mahindra, the largest player in this segment of the auto industry saw sales grow to 70,433 units in 1999-2000 from 64,820 units in 1998-99.
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