Suzuki, One in Every Two Cars Sold in India

Maruti Suzuki accounted for one in every two passenger vehicles sold in India in January, achieving the feat for the second time this fiscal year as the automaker further consolidates its position at the top of the local market.

Riding high on the success of premium hatchback Baleno and compact SUV Vitara Brezza, the local unit of Japan’s Suzuki Motor made 50.4% of all cars, utility vehicles and vans sold in India the past month.

The company’s market share was 45.9% a year earlier, while its all-time high was 52%, recorded in November 2016, according to ET Auto.

The numbers are of dispatches from factories to dealerships — automakers in India don’t report retail sales. 

Maruti’s sales rose nearly 26% in January. It outpaced industry passenger vehicle sales growth of 14.5%, which was the fastest in four months.

Manufacturers sold more than 265,000 passenger vehicles in January, according to sales numbers released by automakers and industry estimates. 

Korean auto major Hyundai — the only other carmaker to have featured on the top 10 list, with two models — posted growth of 10.5% in the past month, selling 42,017 units, and expects the momentum to continue over the next few months.

Seven out of top nine carmakers that reported sales for January posted strong double-digit growth, with the exception of Mahindra & Mahindra and Honda Cars India, which registered a decline of around 9% each.

But Maruti Suzuki may see competition stiffen once the Korean Kia and Japanese Daihatsu enter the Indian market, even though they will still be well prepared to address the challenge.