Maruti, TELCO sales fall

MUL8217;s market share also fell to 58.6 per cent in the reference month from 65 per cent in August 1999, according to figures released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers SIAM.

However, car sales were marginally higher by 0.9 per cent at 2.44 lakh units during April-August 2000-01 compared to 2.42 lakh vehicles in the corresponding period of last fiscal.

Sales of multi-utility vehicles MUVs declined by 0.8 per cent to 9186 units in the first five months of 2000-01 from 9261 units.

In the commercial vehicles segment, medium and heavy vehicles were worst hit as sales fell by 28.6 per cent in August. However, light commercial vehicle sales increased by 26 per cent during the month.

Domestic auto major Tata Engineering TELCO recorded a 24.7 per cent fall in sales at 3,495 units in August 2000 from 4,639 units in the same month last year. TELCO8217;s sales, however, rose by 29.5 per cent during April-August 2000-01 to 21,578 units.

Hyundai Motor registered a marginal 4.04 per cent rise in car sales at 7,285 units in August 2000 as against 7,002 units in the same month last year. During April-August 2000-01, the company8217;s sales rose by 44.3 per cent to 35,562 units from 24,635 units in the same period last fiscal.

Hyundai8217;s native rival Daewoo Motors posted a 57.1 per cent jump in sales at 4,497 units in August 2000 from 2,862 units in the same month a year ago pushing up the company8217;s overall sales by 112 per cent to 24,409 units during the first five months of the current fiscal.

Indian subsidiary of Italian auto giant Fiat Spa registered a huge 65 per cent sales dip at 709 cars in August 2000 as compared to 2,025 units sold in the same month last year.

Indian arms of US auto giants General Motors and Ford Motor Co posted 313.5 per cent and 496.8 per cent sales growth at 1,038 units and 1,492 units respectively in August 2000.

Car sales of Mercedes Benz fell by 64.1 per cent to 56 units from 156 units in August 1999, while Japanese car major Honda Siel posted a 9.2 per cent sales dip at 817 units in August 2000 against 900 units in the same month last year.

Hindustan Motors registered a 21.1 per cent sales growth selling 2,680 cars in August 2000.

In the multi-utility vehicles segment, Mahindra and Mahindra Mamp;M and TELCO registered negative sales growth of 29 per cent and 7.6 per cent respectively.

Mamp;M sold 3,823 vehicles during August 2000 as against 5,385 units in the same month last year, while sales of TELCO went down to 2,591 units in the reference month from 2,805 units in August 1999.

Toyota Kirloskar sold 1,971 units of its recently-launched Qualis8217; vehicle. Motorcycles continued to race ahead with Hero Honda and Bajaj Auto leading the pack, each selling 80,068 units and 50,221 units respectively during August 2000.

Scooters sales fell down by 23.6 per cent largely on account of negative sales by Bajaj Auto and LML Ltd. Mopeds sales were higher at 62,999 units in August 2000, a jump of 2.6 per cent, as compared to 61,377 units in the same month last year.

Three-wheelers sales rose by 2.5 per cent at 18,968 units during August 2000 as against 18,509 units in the same month last year, with Bajaj Auto accounting for 17,654 units.