11 November,2009 12:27 PM IST | | PTI
The domestic passenger car sales registered a healthy 34 per cent jump in October on continuing festive demand, while sale of commercial vehicles soared 52 per cent, signalling that economic recovery is gaining ground.
According to Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), domestic passenger car sales stood at 1,32,615 units in October, the seventh consecutive month of growth, compared with 99,052 units in the same month a year ago.
Motorcycle sales in the month rose by 14.22 per cent at 6,11,828 units from 5,35,642 units in October 2008, it added.
Carrying forward the upward march that began in July, after 11 months of slump, sale of commercial vehicles in the country registered a robust 51.90 per cent growth in October at 42,562 units, against 28,019 units in the year-ago period.
In the passenger car segment during October, sales of the market leader Maruti Suzuki India increased by 21.50 per cent to 63,365 units from 52,153 units in the year-ago period. The country's second largest carmaker Hyundai Motor India registered 41.50 per cent growth at 28,301 units, SIAM said.
Tata Motors' sales went up at 17,557 units from 14,100 units in October last year, a jump of 24.52 per cent. In the motorcycle segment, market leader Hero Honda's sales increased by 1.12 per cent at 3,32,476 units in October compared with 3,28,788 units in the year-ago month. Rival Bajaj Auto's sales soared by 75.18 per cent at 1,79,111 units, against 1,02,242 units in October last year, SIAM said.
Chennai-based TVS Motor also registered a growth of 2.18 per cent at 45,220 units in October, against 44,257 units in the same month last year. Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI), however, saw its bike sales decline by 46.56 per cent at 17,932 units from 33,558 units in the year-ago period due to labour issues hitting the company since August.
SIAM said the total two-wheeler sales in October surged by 10.61 per cent to 7,50,229 units from 6,78,245 units in the same period last year. In the scooter segment, total sales fell by 12.73 per cent at 92,346 units, against 1,05,812 units a year ago, SIAM said.
HMSI's sales dipped 40.84 per cent at 35,486 units against 59,988 units in the same month last year. TVS Motor's scooter sales, however, increased by 29.68 per cent at 27,288 units compared with 21,043 units last year. SIAM said Hero Honda's scooter sales were down 24.86 per cent at 12,292 units, against 16,359 units last year.
Three-wheeler sales during October were up by 20.89 per cent at 39,926 units compared with 33,026 units. Light commercial vehicle sales during the seventh month of the fiscal were up by 43.02 per cent at 23,220 units, against 16,233 units in the year-ago period.
Medium and heavy commercial vehicle sales rose at 19,342 units compared with 11,786 units last year, up 64.11 per cent. Total sales of vehicles across all categories increased by 15.62 per cent to 10,00,760 units in October, against 8,65,566 units in October 2008, SIAM said.
